The Coventry Very Light Rail (CVLR) project has achieved a significant technical milestone with the construction of a 220-metre single-track demonstrator in the city centre.
Installed along Greyfriars Road and Queen Victoria Road, this trial represents the first time CVLR’s innovative modular track form has been embedded within a live urban road.
This milestone follows the appointment of the Principal Contractor in mid-February 2025. Delivery has progressed swiftly to the completion of laying and aligning the track bed and rails. The installation is now complete.
The team is currently finalizing the installation of the structural monitoring system, rail drainage, and rail-to-pavement interface components before embedding rails in asphalt pavement. It should all be complete this month.
The track alignment was chosen to test real-world challenges typical of dense city centres, including bends and gradients.
The route will also test whether the track affects below-ground services, including water (clean and foul), gas, electricity, and telecommunications. The track form’s shallow 300mm excavation depth and integrated access chambers enabled installation without major service relocation — a fundamental advantage over traditional tram systems.
Following the completion of construction on the test track, the CVLR vehicle will be brought into the city centre to commence a period of public engagement and trial running on the newly installed infrastructure. These demonstrations will allow stakeholders and the public to experience the system first-hand and provide valuable feedback to inform future development.
RailAdventure UK, a specialist transport company in the West Midlands, will operate the vehicle for the on-road test in the city centre. The company has earned its reputation by providing support services for rail operations, moving trains, testing them, and running passenger services. The father-and-son team will be driving the vehicle and its passengers on the demonstration track.
During the four-week test, members of the public and other stakeholders will have the opportunity to experience CVLR between Greyfriars Road and Queen Victoria Road and provide feedback.
The test vehicle can take up to 17 seated passengers and there is space for a wheelchair or pushchair. Once the system is operational, the vehicle will be able to hold 60 passengers, seated and standing.
The public reaction to the trial has been very sucessful and is now “sold out”. However it is anticipated that the council might create some extra trips shortly.
Once the trial runs conclude, the site will be returned to regular highway use, but it will continue to serve as a long-term testbed. Regular road traffic will contribute live loading to the track form, providing essential data to validate the system’s performance over time.
The West Midlands Combined Authority funds CVLR through the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement.