A new type of rail-car service is officially launched in the West Midlands this weekend.
The gas-powered Parry People Movers railcar is set to boost a vital public transport route for residents in Stourbridge, where a shuttle service connects the town centre rail station with the rest of the network.
A trial of the new vehicle is now running on Sundays to complement the Monday to Saturday ‘heavy rail’ diesel service. It is being jointly funded by the regional public transport body Centro-PTA and the former Strategic Rail Authority’s Community Rail programme.
“We are always keen to look at innovative ways of providing better public transport - and this new technology could prove to be just the answer for maintaining a vital link,” says PTA chairman councillor Gary Clarke.
The light railcar will run four times an hour between Stourbridge Town and Stourbridge Junction stations, operated by Pre Metro Operations Ltd. If successful it could be explored as an option for other times or routes.
Local MP Lynda Waltho, Cllr Clarke, Centro director general Rob Donald and John Parry, the man who developed the technology, will officially launch the new service on Sunday morning.
Parry People Movers railcars make use of a revolutionary "Kinergetic" propulsion system to store and re-use the braking energy of the vehicle. The Black Country-based inventors say this makes it a very environmentally-friendly system, as the 50-passenger, 10-tonne railcar can run for over an hour on just a few litres of propane fuel, with low noise and imperceptible emissions. The vehicle is also fully compliant with safety and accessibility regulations, and level access from platforms ensures wheelchair users can enter and leave the railcar without ramps.
It is the first time the local branch line has had a Sunday service since 1915. The trial will run for 12 months and is being watched keenly by key figures in the rail industry to see if this is the way forward for community rail lines. Centro-PTA has part-funded the development costs of the project and is also subsidising the running costs with £35,000 support.
Link: more detailed specification of the vehicle
