Very Light Rail (VLR) gets investment push

TRI Greenway develops VLR solutions that run on battery-only propulsion

TRI Greenway develops VLR solutions that run on battery-only propulsion

UK rail company TDI Greenway (TDI) and US firm Railroad Development Corporation (RDC) have announced an investment partnership between their light rail solutions. This joint venture unites both companies’ interests and resources to strengthen growth in the emerging market for rapidly deployed Light Metro, Light Rapid Transit (LRT), Very Light Rail (VLR) and tram solutions on secondary freight and passenger routes worldwide.

Sam Wauchope, Chairman of TDI Greenway, said: "This partnership with RDC represents a significant step forward for TDI Greenway. Pop-Up Metro gives us an operational base for increased trade into North America and RDC brings a wealth of global expertise and respect to our operations.

"We are in advanced negotiations in the UK with a major infrastructure fund and are working with UK’s Network Rail to reinstate disused railway lines to recommence local community rail transport routes across the country. There is a real momentum behind Very Light Rail and it is an exciting time for this sector on both sides of the Atlantic.”

TDI Greenway strives to be the market leader in VLR technology with lightweight vehicle solutions that are quicker, easier and more cost effective to deploy than alternative heavy-rail solutions. TDI Greenway states it has a market-ready VLR solution with the Revolution VLR, its award-winning, first-of-its-kind vehicle designed and manufactured in the UK.

As interest in VLR grows in the UK and internationally, TDI Greenway is focused on driving innovation in this emerging gap within the transport sector, while supporting UK manufacturing on a global scale. With plans for future projects and collaborations in the pipeline, the company reports that it is dedicated to driving positive change in the rail industry and beyond. 

?The new joint venture will result in a merger between TDI and RDC’s rail mobility division, Pop-Up Metro (PUM), LLC. PUM is a fresh transit infrastructure alternative operating North America’s only battery-propelled passenger cars and providing TDI an operational base in the United States for growth into the North American market.