Currently the group is moving towards the production of its own railcar. It also intends to establish a research centre and test track, situated alongside a former freight formation in Dudley. This would focus on light and very light rail, plus the structures and signalling required to make it work. It also wants to run courses to create a skilled workforce for the sector.
“We think very light rail is a segment where we can drive the technology and create a new manufacturing sector for the UK,” continues Mallinson. “There are big costs associated with what people currently call light rail. We’re talking about vehicles whose weight will be less than one tonne per linear metre. Their axle loads will be between six and eight tonnes, not 15 to 20 tonnes. It’s really a new class of vehicle.”
A bid has already gone to the DfT to carry out a feasibility study into re-opening the Kemble to Cirencester branch, as an independent feeder to Kemble main line station. Discussions are also taking place with Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council about a shuttle between the popular Black Country Living museum and the Zoo.
“There are a lot of barriers caused by misconceptions,” says Mallinson. “Councillors across the country have been told by conventional rail suppliers that very light rail technology is rocket science, it’s very risky, they shouldn’t go anywhere near it, and they should stick with trusted technology such as trams. Our argument is ‘no it’s not rocket science, it’s already being used in hybrid buses and in heavy trucks’. It’s reliable, and it’s proven.”
The Warwick Manufacturing Group’s confidence is clear. Having recently spent time evaluating a powertrain, it anticipates having a working machine to trial by the end of 2017. By lining up potential re-opening candidates and identifying lines where councils might want to preserve services, WMG’s aim is to work “both ends of the problem” and create a customer base for the vehicle it produces.
“There is a definite market - at the bottom end of the transport pyramid if you like - to connect communities to other railway lines or transport hubs,” concludes Mallinson.
While it is now two years since Edinburgh became the latest ‘new’ system to open, network extensions have begun operating in Nottingham, while Birmingham is also set to build more lines. With the Tram Train trial nearing a start in South Yorkshire, this is still a busy time for the light rail industry. There is a belief that with a change of political landscape and an equal change in regulation, light (and very light) rail has an important role to play in the country’s transport make-up. Just as ‘Supertrams’ replaced the double-deck cars of the Edwardian era, might the future feature a further evolution, where all the fundamental components of a network are rethought?
Greenwood shares that outlook with a condition: “With the right champion and the right impetus maybe we will see more light rail - and that would be good. It needs the right person in the right position. You need someone who understands it. You need a champion at central Government level.”
Hammett is upbeat: “There is a huge amount of potential coming up with HS2 and connectivity. Light rail has a big part to play. It is a good tool for growth and redevelopment.”
That transport utopia could still be on its way.
