Working in partnership to deliver RVLR

Partnership has been fundamental to the successful delivery of the RVLR Demonstrator phase and it will continue to be the foundation for future programme achievements.  Whilst the most visible project partnership is between Eversholt Rail and Transport Design International (TDI), strong relationships have also been established with other stakeholders and we expect more to emerge during the Pre-Series phase.

The Eversholt Rail-TDI partnership began in early 2018 when Eversholt Rail joined the original RVLR consortium led by TDI.  The businesses’ complementary expertise and experience were applied to good effect, with the Demonstrator vehicle design benefiting from Eversholt Rail’s in-depth knowledge of UK railway stakeholders and their associated needs and priorities, and TDI providing insight into novel fleet support concepts and potential overseas markets. 

Planning and implementing the RVLR demonstration environment at Ironbridge led to more Eversholt Rail and TDI personnel joining the project. It also involved working closely with the team at Harworth Developments, the Ironbridge site owners, as well as with experienced rail infrastructure and other suppliers.  From the outset, we emphasised the partnership aspects by using of ‘RVLR team’ messaging and branding throughout the stakeholder demonstration phase, which began in September 2021. This approach has attracted positive comments from stakeholder visitors, as has the recognition of project sponsors and original consortium members on the Demonstrator vehicle itself.

A significant early outcome from the Ironbridge demonstrations has been the strong relationship that the RVLR team built with Network Rail’s Light Rail and Restoring Your Railway teams.  All parties recognised the mutual benefits that can result from working closely together to identify and prioritise RVLR deployment opportunities, and this has led to regular engagement to progress the most promising prospects.

Throughout 2023 Eversholt Rail and TDI‘s focus has been on developing and agreeing a robust and flexible contractual framework appropriate for the Pre-Series vehicle build, approvals and operator-led trials phase, and also for subsequent volume production and support. Several aspects of this have been truly innovative.  Achieving contract signature in November 2023 was a real team effort from which we have all learned a great deal.