As suggested in our report last month, ‘Tram 16’ is to become a hub for innovative sustainable transport technology as part of the Clean Futures programme.

Tram 16 is a Midland Metro Class T69 vehicle. The engineering team at the Black Country Innovative Manufacturing Organisation (BCIMO) has stripped it out, cleaned and partially refitted it, and has refreshed the vehicle with a new livery, and It will now take up its new role at the Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre (VLRNIC) in Dudley in the West Midlands.

Tram 16 made its final stop on the Midland Metro in 2015, and was then put into storage before being moved to its new home at the VLRNIC, a journey funded by a donation from UK Tram.

Last week, Tram 16 appeared at a flagship programme event. The Demonstration Day showcased innovations from small and medium enterprises (SMEs) which are on the first year of the Clean Futures Accelerator programme, and featured individual presentations in the centre’s Auditorium and Exhibition Hall, as well as live demonstrations of the technologies involved inside and around the Engineering Hall.

The main attraction at the event was Tram 16. It stood as a focal point in the Hall, and also hosted several of the innovations being demonstrated.

SMEs using the tram included :

• Adelan, with a clean power source for its auxiliary systems
• BoxTube, with a system for loading freight onto a vehicle
• Varamis Rail. with a different system for loading freight onto a vehicle.

More information on the individual Cohort 1 SMEs will be published soon.

As part of the range of facilities at BCIMO’s Rail Development and Test Site, and as a complex system in its own right, Tram 16 offers opportunities for innovators in future programme cohorts – and other organisations needing to test their technology in a rail environment – to utilise it further.

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There are already plans to refit Tram 16 with a new power source later this year, and the vehicle has the
potential for technology to be installed and tested and/or showcased across its structure and systems

For example, providing further power for non-propulsion, such as lighting and heating, access and safety, alongside sensor and monitoring installations.

Tram 16 may also be able to host innovation that focuses on sub-carriage engineering, such as new, more sustainable construction materials and manufacturing methods and adapting or replacing components.

For example, parts originally made in steel derived from carbon-heavy processes or plastics containing chemicals which mean that they are not recyclable.

Inside the carriage, there is potential for:

• using ‘greener’ composites for internal panelling, fixtures and fittings
• fabrics and contact surfaces which are more hygienic or durable
• more effective and ergonomic driver control systems

Innovators could consider maintenance techniques on various aspects of the vehicle – or, indeed, anything that falls under the umbrella of ‘clean technology’.

Applying for Cohort 2

The launch of Cohort 2 of the Clean Futures Accelerator will see regional SMEs invited to consider three specific challenges facing the rail industry, and to design – or redevelop from existing applications – to address these:

• Clean and efficient vehicle manufacturing and assembly, minimising indirect emissions and/or utilising the circular economy. This could include maximising energy efficiency in rail vehicle production; reducing waste through more efficient sourcing and recycling or repurposing; redesigning to use more sustainable source materials or processes; alternative, greener materials; or using more lightweight, cost-effective or longer-life components.
  
• Greener transport infrastructure, for both new and retrofit, specifically to enhance affordability and sustainability. This could include using decarbonised materials in construction, or systems which reduce destruction and disruption of utilities; transport operations, such as signalling and control, communications and safety; and future- focused innovations to tackle the impact of climate change on design and materials.
  
• Future fuels, developing alternative, more sustainable fuels, such as hydrogen, biofuels and synthetics; including innovations in production, transportation and storage; regional initiatives to reduce cost for local customers and carbon footprint of national distribution, supply to infrastructure where electrification is challenging; production of fuel from waste materials as part of the circular economy, and redevelopment of fuels used in other sectors such as air and sea.

This year also includes an open challenge, where innovators can offer ideas that do not fit into the three main challenges, but do contribute to sustainable transport and/or clean manufacturing.

The challenge hopes to attract innovations will benefit the West Midlands, and contribute to the goals of the regional ‘2041 Plan’, noting that it is designed to “foster a wide array of sustainable solutions that support our collective vision for a greener future”.

“With the opening of applications for Cohort 2 of the Clean Futures programme and launch of the new industry challenges for the coming year on 30th April, we are really excited to se e the innovations our regional SMEs can bring to rail.

“As such, the potential to showcase these on Tram 16, both honours the history of rail in the Black Country and focuses on its future, as we transition to net zero as part of the broader West Midlands’ decarbonisation agenda.

“There is a real opportunity for innovators to work together too – as we have seen in Cohort 1 – to offer collaborative solutions to the challenges the industry faces, and again the tram is an ideal demonstrator, so we are really grateful to UK Tram for donating it to BCIMO.”

Naomi Arblaster, Head of SME Development at BCIMO

“Exhibiting the ‘live’ innovations at our Demonstration Day event last week was an essential part of the work we do on Clean Futures, in allowing industry stakeholders and potential investors to see the technology and talk to the SMEs.”

Matt Wood, Clean Futures Programme Manager at BCIMO