Coventry City Council Joins BCIMO’s Family Day as Main Event Partner

Partnership offers families a unique opportunity to ride Coventry’s Very Light Rail vehicle before its public demonstration in the city.

BCIMO is delighted to announce Coventry City Council as its Main Event Partner for its upcoming Family Day, offering local families and rail enthusiasts an exclusive first look at the future of urban transport — with the chance to ride the Coventry Very Light Rail (CVLR) demonstrator vehicle before it moves to Coventry for public demonstration.

The partnership between BCIMO and Coventry City Council has been fundamental to the formation of the Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre (VLRNIC) in Dudley, which was established to support the development of the emerging Very Light Rail industry, as well as innovation across the wider rail sectors. As part of this collaboration, Coventry City Council secured Government funding to help prepare the centre for its role in enabling the research and development of the Coventry Very Light Rail (CVLR) vehicle — the first VLR application to use the facility.

Since 2022, the Coventry Very Light Rail (CVLR) demonstrator—a battery-operated, zero-emission transport system capable of carrying up to 60 passengers (20 seated)—has been undergoing rigorous testing at BCIMO’s Rail Development & Test Site. The system offers an alternative way to travel, complementing existing public transport. It is sustainable, cost-effective, and will help improve air quality while reducing congestion. It will be a hop-on-hop-off urban transport system with no overhead cables and potentially driverless in the future.

A vital part of the testing programme has been installing a 50-metre section of innovative slab track on BCIMO’s 15m radius loop. Designed for tight urban spaces, this prefabricated, low-depth track system enables faster installation with less disruption to existing infrastructure and utilities, helping future-proof transport networks for evolving city needs.

As the leading event partner, Coventry City Council will give visitors to the Family Day a unique experience: the opportunity to ride the CVLR demonstrator along BCIMO’s full test track, through the iconic Dudley Railway Tunnel and around the loop. The vehicle has a capacity for up to 20 passengers on this day. This will be the only time people can ride the vehicle at the Dudley site before it relocates to Coventry to run on a 220-metre section of VLR track, which is currently laid along Greyfriars Road and Queen Victoria Road. This on-road test, scheduled for summer 2025, will allow residents to experience the new system.

Councillor Jim O’Boyle, Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration, and Climate Change at Coventry City Council, said:

“Very Light Rail is the beginning of our plans to revolutionise transport in Coventry. The Family Day in Dudley provides the first opportunity for the public to experience a ride ahead of it moving to Coventry for on-road testing. CVLR can potentially change how people move around smaller cities and towns. It’s green, has the potential to provide a hop-on, hop-off service, and it’s a fraction of the price of conventional tram systems, thanks to our very clever track. It’s great that people can ride on it and experience it in Dudley, where it has been shuttling up and down as part of testing and soon in our city centre.”

Neil Fulton, CEO of BCIMO, added:

“We are incredibly proud of our long-standing partnership with Coventry City Council. Their early support was crucial in helping us develop the facilities that have enabled the programme team to test and advance their Very Light Rail system. As the Main Event Partner for Family Day, we’re excited to offer the public this exclusive opportunity to experience the CVLR demonstrator firsthand, showcasing the exciting potential of sustainable transport for the future.”

To find out more about the event, including how to become a sponsor, buy tickets or get involved in another capacity, please visit the BCIMO Family Day website page.

For more information on BCIMO or the VLRNIC, please visit the BCIMO website or click Contact Us to make an enquiry / sign up to our mailing list.