Very Light Rail (Potential Routes)

[Halifaxlad]

With this 'Very Light Rail' almost ready to be tested on its very own test track. I thought it may fun to speculate on potential routes where such very light rail vehicles could be used ?

For those who aren't familiar with this...

'Revolution Very Light Rail demonstrator vehicle prepared for testing' 24 November 2020

Revolution Very Light Rail demonstrator vehicle prepared for testing

UK: The prototype Revolution Very Light Rail railcar has been delivered to the Quinton Rail Technology Centre at Long Marston, where final assembly, system integration and performance validation testing will be completed by early 2021 ahead of demonstration to potential railway project sponsors...

www.railwaygazette.com

'First track laid for Very Light Rail' in Dudley' 23 November 2020

First track laid for Very Light Rail in Dudley

New pictures show the first sections of track laid as part of the Very Light Rail development in Dudley.

www.expressandstar.com

or its very own dedicated website: http://www.verylightrail.com/

 

[Irascible]

I can't see any performance figures in the places I can access ( I don't have a Railway Gazette subs ) - presumably you could use these on pretty much any secondary route if you built them with gangways? it's not like there's much freight around anymore...

 

[Bletchleyite]

I can't see any performance figures in the places I can access ( I don't have a Railway Gazette subs ) - presumably you could use these on pretty much any secondary route if you built them with gangways? it's not like there's much freight around anymore...

Is what you've got there effectively the same thing as a Parry People Mover, but minus the quirky flywheel drive which was really a product of its time and not likely to come up again? I think it is?

If the rubber band snaps, I guess it'd be of use on the Stourbridge Shuttle.

For anywhere else, i.e. new build, wouldn't a low floor vehicle make more sense?

 

[Irascible]

Is what you've got there effectively the same thing as a Parry People Mover, but minus the quirky flywheel drive which was really a product of its time and not likely to come up again? I think it is?

There was mention of hybrid tech taken from road vehicles, so I'd assume more like a bus - the ultra light weight is presumably what makes it work. At least it's not four wheeled this time

The light build is presumably what would really restrict things.

 

[Halifaxlad]

For anywhere else, i.e. new build, wouldn't a low floor vehicle make more sense?

I think someone has developed a low floor version.

There was mention of hybrid tech taken from road vehicles, so I'd assume more like a bus - the ultra light weight is presumably what makes it work. At least it's not four wheeled this time

That's pretty much my opinion from what Ive read. Its basically going back to the 1950's railbus concept.

 

[8H]

The substanative advantage of VLR be it low floor urban, or rural “rail bus” is the track itself surely, which is less obtrusive less limiting and less expensive making the civils cheaper and the geographical possibilities more interesting. The Units are the secondary issue here as the routes could be more innovative?

 

[Irascible]

The substanative advantage of VLR be it low floor urban, or rural “rail bus” is the track itself surely, which is less obtrusive less limiting and less expensive making the civils cheaper and the geographical possibilities more interesting. The Units are the secondary issue here as the routes could be more innovative?

Not sure of the power/weight of these things so I'm not sure you could be as careless of geography as a tram, for instance ( although in that case, build a tramway ) - but you'd expect to get away with lighter infrastructure yes. Not a PW specialist though, presumably there's minimum levels of ballast etc before the track starts moving around & so forth.

On the full network these things would surely have very cheap access charges.

 

[Bayum]

I don’t like the name. Should change it to, ‘Really Very Light Rail’