The Shadow Rail Minister Stephen Morgan was joined by several distinguished guests on a visit to BCIMO (Black Country Innovative Manufacturing Organisation) on Monday 11 March, to view the progress being made on the Coventry Very Light Rail (CVLR) system.

The project is working alongside a recent report by Midlands Connect, a research and travel development company, that provides greener, economical, social and environmental benefits for the Midlands and UK.

They undertook a study which looked at three world-class universities in Coventry, Leicester, and Nottingham and their association with rail transport.

The report found that 3% of journeys are made by train between Coventry’s and Leicester’s academic hubs.

The main reason for the 3% is there are no longer direct rail services between Coventry and Leicester, which ceased in 2004, and it is now a rail corridor that is in dire need of investment.

Rail transport is important in linking university cities to allow students, lecturers and researchers to travel between them, not only to study and work but also to share ideas and state-of-the-art facilities to develop work on joint projects that are being undertaken across separate universities.

The scheme being put forward by Midlands Connect is to reconnect the line at Nuneaton for the first time in 20 years, which would see through services between Coventry, Leicester and Nottingham, to not only be reinstated but it would also include a regular service and reduce current journey times substantially, which would better connect the three cities as a whole.

The idea of better connecting these three midlands cities is backed by Labour’s Coventry City Council, along with Sir Peter Soulsby Mayor of Nottingham and Leicester, along with many local MPs.

The purpose of the visit to BIMCO was to see how work was progressing for the CVLR at the Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre (VLRNIC), which was set up in 2022 next to the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Metro Extension at Castle Hill in Dudley.

Since becoming established, the (VLRNIC) has installed track and work on the testing of the cars for the Coventry Light Rail system has been taking place.

It is hoped many smaller cities or larger towns will benefit from the project, as they consider sustainable greener and faster forms of public transport.

Today’s visit included the Shadow Rail Minister’s Senior Parliamentary Researcher, Stephen Dhillon. Others in attendance were the Shadow Mayoral Candidate for the Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Richard Parker. Leader of Coventry City Council Cllr George Duggins, and BCIMO’s Chief Executive Officer Neil Fulton, among a handful of others.

They all had a safety briefing before taking a ride on one of the cars, which took the party on the 15-metre test loop before undertaking a short journey along the test track including through an 870-metre tunnel, before the Shadow Rail Minister and many others took turns in driving the vehicle, which can hold up to 56 people and can run at a top speed of just over 40mph.

I am honoured to be in the West Midlands today at the Black Country Innovative Manufacturing Organisation (BCIMO), to see first-hand the progress of delivering Coventry Very Light Rail. Transport infrastructure is key to the vitality of local communities, and innovative projects such as Coventry Very Light Rail are a critical companion to investment in regional rail connections. Labour will work with local leaders, businesses, unions and industry experts in the West Midlands to deliver a credible and transformative programme of rail and transport infrastructure investment.”

Stephan Morgan

“We were delighted to host the Shadow Rail Minister at BCIMO today. We are passionate about what we can offer to the whole of the rail industry – that encompasses heavy, light, and very light rail – and we want to share this with important visitors such as Stephen.

Neil Fulton