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The motor capital of the UK has received a transport makeover – and it’s already going to be expanded.
Coventry has spearheaded the Very Light Rail network, which has been described as being like a tram, but better.
The vehicles, which can carry 60 passengers, are cheaper and more flexible than traditional railways, and passengers started using the vehicles last month.
But it’s now been announced that the project, currently in use on two streets in the city centre, is set to be expanded to six new areas.
The Department for Transport has released £12million to expand the project into ‘growth areas’ across the city, including the Coventry Gigafactory at Coventry Airport.
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Speaking to CoventryLive, Cllr Jim O’Boyle said: ‘Coventry passengers deserve a choice of how they travel around our city.
‘Sheffield, Manchester, Nottingham, Birmingham, London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, all of those have choice, so we should have that choice as well.’
The transport system, currently in place along Queen Victoria Road and Greyfriars Road, could also expand to Coventry Railway Station, University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire, Antsy Park, the University of Warwick, and Coventry University.
The expansion should be completed by the end of next year, and it’s hoped this will bring new jobs to the city centre.
Local father and son Graham and Joe Dibbins are train drivers at RailAdventure UK and were among the first to drive the new vehicles.
Graham said: ‘It’s an extraordinary feeling to be involved in such an innovative project and at the same time to be working with my son for the first time in a professional capacity as train drivers.’
Joe added: ‘It seems unbelievable that I am working with the one person I respect more than anyone else – my dad. The fact that Coventry Very Light Rail is so technologically advanced is simply the icing on the cake.’
Cllr O’Boyle, cabinet member for jobs, regeneration and climate change at the city council, said the ‘green’ CVLR system will ‘revolutionise transport in Coventry.’
He said: ‘Very Light Rail is just the beginning of our plans to revolutionise transport in our city, tackle climate change, improve air quality, and provide a reliable and accessible travel option.’
What makes ‘very light rail’ different?
The cost of construction is the first thing that sets it apart from traditional trams.
The estimated cost per kilometre (0.6 miles) is £10million, compared to £30million for the same distance for tram tracks.
The new track sits just under 11 inches (30cm) within the road surface, minimising expensive and time-consuming works to relocate pipes and cables.
The VLR system is powered by batteries, meaning that, unlike trams, there is no need for overhead wires.
Could London have 'very light rail' system?
The electric, very light rail system has been touted as a way to bring disused railway lines back into action.
There are no definite plans to build ultra-light rail systems in London, but TfL and the London Assembly have discussed and reviewed the option over the years.
Major rail operators are said to have shown interest in the very light rail systems, and further trials are planned to start in 2026.
In London, the closest to the new train system is the tram network, which still runs across the southern boroughs.
The history of London trams goes back to more than 200 years, but there were times it almost disappeared for good.
The very light rail bears some similarity to the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), a driverless train operating in London since the 1980s on a 24-mile track.
DLR is a light metro train, which uses purpose-built tracks, which run mostly outdoors, connecting Canary Wharf, the City, Stratford, Lewisham and Woolwich.
Whereas very light rail uses batteries, the DLR gets its power from a bottom-contact third rail system underneath the train.
Self-driving vehicles are expected to be on the UK roads by 2026, the government has said, opening the door for more autonomous rail systems.
The Coventry very light rail has been developed to allow autonomous operation in the future.
Pedestrians, cyclists and disabled passengers will have ‘sufficient provision’ on the new routes when they open, the council confirmed.
A version of this article was first published on May 7, 2025
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