Clarkson Controls are proud to have designed and installed the BMS Controls system for the new very light rail (VLR) innovation centre in Dudley. Including supplying and installing metering and our own Sensio-2 sensors for gas, water, heat and electric. Smoke dampers, air handling units, fan coil units cold water plant and gas fired radiant panel heating. Using Distech open source controls.
The new very light rail (VLR) innovation centre and rail line has now been completed. The project connects the town with the national rail network for the first time in more than five decades.
The new line will comprise two tracks, one for pilot testing of VLR vehicles manufactured at the centre and the other for passenger services.
Situated at the site of the old Dudley Train Station in Castlehill, Facilities will include a triple-height engineering hall, research laboratories, conference and seminar rooms, and offices for 45 people, alongside more public areas, including exhibition spaces, a café and an auditorium.
There will also be a 2km test track along a disused railway line and platforms. This project aims to deliver all of the benefits of trams but at a cost of £10m per km, compared with an average of £50m per km for a traditional tram solution Very Light Rail could put the old rail routes in towns and cities back into service at a fraction of the cost of heavier rail alternatives. The project has been overseen by the Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council and Warwick Manufacturing Group of the University of Warwick.
