The Black Country Innovative Manufacturing Organisation (BCIMO) has set up a new working group at the Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre (VLRNIC) to evaluate the role of clean hydrogen encompassed in a ‘Trams-as-a-Service’ model for very light rail,

As the search for cleaner and greener transport continues, the need to find potential solutions becomes ever more important, including their sustainability in both source and supply.

A recent conference at the VLRNIC was opened by Naomi Arblaster, Head of SME Development at BCIMO and project lead for the Clean Futures Accelerator programme, launched almost two years ago to facilitate the demonstration and commercialisation of ‘green’ innovation in the road and rail sectors.

Neil Fulton, BCIMO CEO, explained how BCIMO, a not-for-profit research and technology organisation, has access to world-class technical and commercial facilities and support at the VLRNIC that could facilitate future transportation development.

The complexity of the hydrogen landscape, including its challenges, opportunities and threats, was explained by Dr. Michaela Kendall, co-founder and CEO of Adelan. and a graduate of the Clean Futures programme, She outlined how hydrogen could be used in manufacturing and transport, how clean hydrogen could be produced, and the business case for its use and its contribution to the UK economy.

Opportunities from using hydrogen trams ‘as-a-service’ (HTaaS) were outlined by Stephen Collicott, Innovation Director at Triton Hydrogen and Jim Harkins, Managing Director of Light Rail (UK) Group.

With the problems of congestion, poor air quality, plastic waste, and insufficient responses from government and local authorities, together with insufficient funding, they suggested that HTaaS could be a solution. They highlighted the significantly reduced costs associated with very light rail systems and how urban waste could be used to produce hydrogen from ‘waste-to-energy’.

Further benefits from Very Light Rail included eliminating emissions, particulate pollution, and cost savings.

There needs to be a greater focus on both onboard and trackside sources for hydrogen propulsion, as well as in the siting of production facilities to power both transport systems and homes, such as within new developments.

The development, testing, demonstration and ultimate commercialisation process of innovative transport systems resulting from the Clean Futures programme were discussed, as well as taking innovations from their technology readiness level to testing prototypes in a rail-specific environment.

The Black Country Innovative Manufacturing Organisation is currently being used to develop a Very Light Rail system for Coventry.

Last May, a former Midland Metro tram became a hub for innovative sustainable transport technology in the centre as part of the Clean Futures programme.

“The facilities here provide an ideal environment for testing transport systems. By demonstrating these systems in action and expanding their applications across various sectors, we can showcase the true value and benefits of integrated technologies, rather than evaluating them in isolation. This site is perfectly suited to host stakeholders, industry partners, manufacturers, and investors, allowing them to see the systems operating as a whole. This approach will inspire confidence, encouraging faster investment and adoption into the market.”

Naomi Arblaster, Head of SME Development and project lead on Clean Futures