Events showcase why Coventry and Warwickshire region is a real force in the rail sector

Hydrogen Hero and upcycled underground trains visit Warwickshire rail events

Coventry & Warwickshire's automotive technology continues to raise the profile of the region around the world - but the area is also a force in aerospace and rail technologies as crossover tech from digital to lightweight design to propulsion and driverless tech increasingly blur the lines between industry sectors.

During the recent Coventry & Warwickshire Business Festival, rail tech and supply chain were featured at events at Nuneaton and Long Marston. The events attracted 70 visitors from across the Midlands and further afield.

The Quinton Rail Technology Centre, a major UK centre of rail test and development, hosted the Coventry & Warwickshire Rail Innovation Showcase.

Delegates heard from ex-submariner Charles Calvert about the Hydrogen Hero, the UK’s first hydrogen- powered train developed by University of Birmingham's Birmingham Centre for Rail Research and Education and tested at Long Marston.

The Long Marston site is also home to the rolling stock start-up company Vivarail, which has developed a cost-effective local mass transit solution using re-engineered and upcycled former London underground carriages incorporating modern interiors and powertrain including battery, hydrogen and hybrid solutions.

Vivarail design director Neil Bates showed delegates examples of the train now in service with West Midlands Trains on the Marston Vale Line.

Dr Nick Mallinson from Warwick Manufacturing Group at the University of Warwick presented on the VLR or ‘very light rail’ technology under development with partners at the university. This work combines lightweighting, modern battery propulsion, driverless technology and low cost track infrastructure to create lower cost mass transit systems with the potential to make viable city, sub-urban and rural lines currently uneconomic by heavy rail.

Projects under development include a light rail solution for Coventry, in partnership with award-winning Transport Design International, which is based at Clifford Chambers in Stratford-upon-Avon, a few minutes down the road from Long Marston.

Delegates were able to see examples of Hydrogen Hero and the D-Train on display, as the early morning heavy rain eased off.

David Wright from Coventry University showcased the new National Transport Design Centre in Coventry, its capabilities in design and VR, and the work it has done on the design of rail interiors.

Meanwhile, the event at Nuneaton, hosted by Eliot Park Innovation Centre, focused on raising awareness of the rail sector and the many opportunities arising from a pipeline of investment in UK rail over the next 15-20 years, including HS2, Midlands Metro, Midlands Rail Hub and other UK rail and light rail infrastructure projects.

Delegates heard from a range of industry voices, including membership groups Rail Alliance, Rail Forum Midlands and the Digi-Rail Programme at the BCRRE, aimed at supporting SMEs already in rail, and those interested in finding out more.

If you missed these events, there are further opportunities ahead to engage with the sector at the following events:

 Unlocking Innovation Event (with RIA), BCRRE - https://riagb.org.uk/RIA/Registration_UIS.aspx?EventKey=UIS1901

Light After Dark (Long Marston) - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/light-after-dark-2019-tickets-50777111708

Safe Start (Stoneleigh Park) – https://safestart.events/