Rail revolution or another Parry People Mover?

Revolution Very Light Rail (RVLR) is on the cusp of launching its light-weight battery powered trains – nicknamed “trainpods” onto the national network. Hopes are high that the 56 seat vehicle that measures just under five metres in length – 20% shorter than a conventional carriage – will see wide scale use on rural lines across the UK, but is this a likely scenario?

RVLR is an initiative between rolling stock leasing company Eversholt and Transport Design International – the leasing company having enough faith in the concept to give the go ahead for the construction of three vehicles, with a view to them commencing a 12 month trial over various branch lines around the UK. This will allow their performance to be assessed. Running on two or four batteries, which are recharged via an energised third rail when the train is stationary, it certainly ticks the ‘green’ box. To succeed it needs to avoid the ‘Mickey Mouse’ label that a manager at train builder Bombardier once gave to the Parry People Mover – illustrating how it was never seen as a threat to the main players.

Currently RVLR makes use of part of the disused Ironbridge power station branch – that saw its final coal train in 2016. The Severn Valley Railway, which now operates between Kidderminster and Bridgnorth, Picture here: https://tinyurl.com/zhkdaxtr once served Ironbridge as it made its way to Shrewsbury. Every so often calls come around to extend the heritage line from Bridgnorth but the Severn Valley Railway has publicly stated that there are no plan to do so – for one thing much of the trackbed has been redeveloped, including a golf course. Another problem is that the line had a long history of being unstable around Ironbridge, which would mean high maintenance costs. The present cost of living crisis, coupled with a general downturn in visitors across the heritage sector, has pushed the possibility of extending the Severn valley Railway, further back than ever before.

This is not the first time a light-weight rail vehicle built by a ground breaking company has promised to be the solution to branch line woes. In the early 2000s the fly wheel powered Parry People Mover (PPM) burst on the scene, offering to slash running costs. The PPM enjoyed limited success – undergoing trials on the Chasewater and Great Central Railways, to name but two – pictures here: https://tinyurl.com/4ratyet7 and https://tinyurl.com/2yvdnj6k At the latter railway it was used to convey school children to and from Loughborough – the local council being enthusiastic about the potential to reduce school traffic on the nearby A6 road. The trial would no doubt have continued had the PPM vehicle not been subject to vandalism, forcing it to hastily relocate to the Chasewater Railway. I met and interviewed business owner John Parry a number of times over the years. He was always optimistic that the PPM would find its niche in due course, which it did on the Stourbridge Junction to Stourbridge Town branch. Pic here: https://tinyurl.com/yrks62ax where it replaced a class 153 single car unit, allowing it to be released to strengthen other services on the Snow Hill route. The company had hopes that this would lead to further orders – including a two car model that could be used for on street running. Despite much interest from various parties, no further orders materialised. The branch requires two vehicles, 139001 and 139002, one of them acting as a spare in case of failure or to cover for regular maintenance. They even have their own purpose built shed at Stourbridge Junction. Both vehicles remain in service to this day, but rumours abound that a replacement may be sought in the not too distant future – both now in their second decade of operation. A natural choice for their replacement would be the RVLR, which has much in common with the PPM, namely aimed at the short shuttle market and a replacement for older diesel trains. However, only time will tell if the industry as a whole has as much faith in the RVLR as its backers do.

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