Debut for innovative Very Light Rail vehicle

First of a kind Revolution VLR prototype offers lower cost option for railway reopenings.

A LIGHTWEIGHT hybrid diesel and battery electric single-car train, the result of seven years of work to create a low-cost option for new services, was launched to the media on October 7 at the former Ironbridge Power Station site in Shropshire.

Weighing just 24.8 tonnes, the Revolution VLR (very light rail) demonstrator is almost 40% lighter than a single-car Class 153 diesel multiple unit, but can accommodate 56 seated passengers.

RVLR is the response to a challenge set out by the Rail Safety & Standards Board

(RSSB) and the Department for Transport to create a vehicle to enable new or additional local train services to be provided more cost-effectively, while also being attractive enough to encourage passengers to choose rail over other modes of transport.

Featuring wheelchair space at one end of the train, it also has air conditioning, wi-fi and charging points for mobile devices.

Stratford-upon-Avon-based Transport Design International (TDI), which has been involved in the development of a number of lightweight vehicle concepts, is the leader of the RVLR consortium, which also comprises rail fleet leasing firm Eversholt Rail, the RSSB, Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) at the University of Warwick, engine manufacturer

Cummins, vehicle technology specialist RDM Group and rail interior supplier Transcal.

The demonstrator, capable of running at up to 65mph, is fitted with two 2.8litre Cummins Euro 6 emissions-compliant common rail diesel engines and a generator.

The generator can provide power to the bogie-mounted motors for traction or charge the vehicle’s two lithium titanate battery packs, which can be used for emissions-free operation in areas such as stations and during journeys at up to 20mph. The mix of power from the two sources can be adapted to suit specific operations. A battery-only version is planned and the consortium says the vehicle could also be configured for hydrogen operation.

The demonstrator is already configured for multiple working, although the consortium believes two single cars working together (or a two-car unit with cabs at either end) is probably the logical limit for the RVLR concept.

Three pre-series production vehicles are already planned for manufacture next year.

GRAEME PICKERING The Revolution VLR demonstration vehicle stands at the platform at Ironbridge Power station following its press run on October 7.

PICKERING GRAEME With capacity for 56 seated passengers, the air-conditioned train is compliant with accessibility requirements and features wheelchair space, CCTV, a passenger information system, wi-fi and mobile device charging points.