Exhibitor News

This revolutionary initiative, led by Coventry City Council, set out to research how tram networks could be made financially viable for smaller to medium-sized cities across the UK. The CVLR project will provide residents with an alternative transport option that will improve air quality, reduce congestion and put Coventry at the forefront of the green industrial revolution.

Pandrol was successful in bidding to provide a bespoke cutting-edge rail fastening and welding solution for the Coventry Very Light Rail Project.

The main project requirements were for:
• A rail seat with a moveable and rotational fastening system - that could be secured on site, to allow for the continuously variable alignment typically found in urban environments.
• A rigid, robust fastening system that was proven and tested.
• A welding solution that minimised material under the rail foot.

The project's innovative track design utilises 100mm thick precast panels of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC), hence enabling minimal excavation while maintaining compatibility with standard grooved rail and fastenings. This approach radically reduces the need for large-scale road modifications and buried utility diversions, reducing material logistics and associated carbon emissions during installation and enabling easier access for future utility maintenance.

The slab design is modular. This allows for edge modification to enable curved track alignment and manhole access cutouts. They have three sets of channels embedded opposite each other, due to the final rail position being unknown. Once the rail is positioned and aligned, the rail fastenings could be placed in the channels alongside the rail and secured.

Read the full story here https://www.pandrol.com/casestudies/flagship-coventry-very-light-rail-united-kingdom/