Coventry's Very Light Rail Plans Are Delayed Due To

The BBC has revealed that the construction of a state-of-the-art tram system in Coventry has been put on hold for years after a request for government funding was turned down. The Very Light Rail (VLR) in Coventry has been hailed as quicker and less expensive to construct than conventional trams.In February 2023, the Labour-run Coventry City Council, led by the VLR team, requested £36.8 million from the government. Despite the business case's rejection, the government said that it had already allocated £15 million to fund VLR testing. It was anticipated that by 2025, the first passenger route through the city center would be completed.The construction had to be delayed since the council's cash offer was rejected, which limited access to money. Jim O'Boyle, a city councillor for Coventry, stated he now believes the VLR won't be used by the general public until at least 2026. He said the government had "no problems funding HS2 with billions of pounds" and called the Department for Transport (DfT) "dysfunctional.". In response to a question on whether he thought the project was being delayed, he stated: "The Department for Transport is the only thing holding us back because we have to go through their hoops and their bureaucracy. It's not us; it's not the private sector."The Department for Transport responded: "It's essential that we consider and scrutinise business cases to ensure value for money for the taxpayer and ensure rigorous testing of the technology is carried out to deliver a service in the future." A copy of the strategic outline business case and the minutes of a DfT meeting where the project was discussed on February 6, 2023, were supplied to the BBC in answer to requests for freedom of information. At the conference, DfT civil Co-director of local transport Stephen Fidler stated that "political factors in Coventry" have to be taken into account.According to a senior council source, this indicates that Birmingham rather than Coventry would be the preferred location for the initial VLR route. However, the BBC has been informed that it was not a political party remark. Options for possible routes across the West Midlands were considered in the broader VLR initiative, according to the DfT. Track of the demonstrator Additionally, civil officials had "concerns" regarding the capacity of "DfT staff to support R&D projects, particularly one led by a council team."And the VLR group "noted it was unclear whether this would deliver different benefits from a bus, and this would be unknown until it was tried and tested live.". The department rejected the commercial strategy and stated that VLR should proceed as a research and development initiative in an email issued the day following the meeting. In order to receive more financing from the government from a £40 million pot, the VLR project must demonstrate that the system functions as intended under a new funding procedure. The vehicle will then be tested on a demonstrator track that the municipality intends to construct later this year in the city center.VLR is requesting an additional £11 million to cover the cost of the demonstrator, on top of the £15 million in government support it has already received. One description of VLR is a battery-operated, emission-free tram system.Concerns regarding the project's future in Coventry have been raised by the delays and the government's involvement in funding approval. Former local minister for transportation and Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker supports VLR, stating that there is "a great need to expand light rail in this country."According to him, the government ought to handle VLR more like a "pilot on the ground, rather than something on paper that needs to be worked out". It was his opinion that the DfT should be "more creative and open-minded about matters." "It also, in my view, needs to change the funding arrangements for local councils so they can innovate in their own areas without having to go to the DfT cap all the time," said Mr. Baker. Other stories The US accuses tech giant Apple of controlling the smartphone market in a lawsuit. During Ramadan, the holy month of fasting, Gaza risks starvation. Kenya’s aim of $10 billion annually is causing its ports to be privatized. In 2023, the top three African countries for investment will be Kenya, Egypt, and Nigeria. NPP Primary: Bawumia and Ken Agyapong meet at party headquarters, and everything is happy and humorous.

Coventry’s Very Light Rail plans are delayed due to the rejection of an early funding bid.

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