In the heart of Coventry, a small tram is making big waves. Sleek, battery-powered, and nearly silent, the Coventry Very Light Rail (CVLR) system may look unassuming—but it marks a groundbreaking shift in how cities approach public transport. At the centre of this innovation is a smart digital backbone: Infrakit.
Tram consultation in Coventry. From left: Christopher Micallef, the lead track consultant, with the CVLR programme director Nicola Small and Cllr Jim O’Boyle. Photograph: Andrew Moore/CVLR. Image credit: The Guardian
Rethinking Trams from the Ground Up
The CVLR project, a pioneering initiative led by Coventry City Council, set out to solve one of the toughest challenges in modern transport: how to deliver the benefits of tram systems—green, reliable, and congestion-reducing—without the sky-high costs and lengthy disruption typically associated with their construction.
Instead of digging deep and diverting utilities, CVLR uses an ultra-thin, 30 cm track slab that sits directly atop existing roads. The results are game-changing: faster installation, dramatically reduced disruption, and up to 50% lower costs. The project’s 220-meter test track was laid in just weeks—showing that with the right technology, building a tram line can be as simple as resurfacing a road.
“We needed a way to not only validate what was happening in real-time, but to communicate clearly with all stakeholders—from site teams to designers. Infrakit provided that clarity,” says James Pike, BIM & Survey Manager at Severn Partnership.
Why Infrakit? A Digital Thread for Smart Construction
To deliver such an ambitious concept, the CVLR team needed a digital solution that could ensure control, traceability, and seamless collaboration.
Discovered at a transport industry fair, where Infrakit was demonstrating its use on Helsinki’s tram projects, the platform immediately impressed. “I could see right away how this would change the game for us,” says Christopher Micallef, CVLR Track Programme Lead. “We’d already experienced the pains of working without a proper digital system—Infrakit offered exactly the kind of intuitive, map-based interface and smart tools we needed.”
From design to construction, Infrakit’s intuitive map-based interface with rich data enhances situational awareness throughout project’s lifecycle.
The platform was written into the project’s tender, and Infrakit was quickly adopted as the central digital construction tool for the pilot.
A Platform That Delivers Confidence
Throughout the installation, Infrakit played a critical role in supporting:
- Construction Validation: Teams could instantly verify construction against design tolerances. When a design inconsistency emerged during build, Infrakit empowered the client team to take fast, informed action—keeping the project on track and on time.
- 3D As-Built Documentation: With the tram track built above live utilities, accurate records were essential. Infrakit enabled the creation of a reliable, 3D geolocated model of installed infrastructure—laying the foundation for long-term asset management and future-proofing.
- Real-Time Progress Visibility: From survey teams to stakeholders, Infrakit’s visual environment made it easy to track progress and stay aligned. “It’s like having your own Google Street View for the project—complete with data layers,” says Micallef.
- Stakeholder Engagement: The platform’s intuitive interface made project data accessible even to non-technical users, helping city planners, engineers, and contractors stay on the same page.
- Integration with Modern Survey Tools: Using leading systems like Trimble and Leica, the team could connect field data directly to digital models, ensuring faster decision-making and accurate documentation.
A Scalable Blueprint for UK Cities
With £15 billion in government funding allocated to new urban transport systems, CVLR offers a replicable model for cities across the UK—and potentially beyond. As the first of its kind, the project is being closely watched by transport authorities, infrastructure consultants, and city leaders seeking smarter, greener alternatives.
For Micallef and the CVLR team, digital construction isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s essential. “Infrakit gave us confidence in the data, in the process, and ultimately in the decisions we had to make quickly. It made the difference between delays and success.”
A large part of the cost and disruption of laying a tram network involves what lies under the road. Photograph: CVLR. Image credit: The Guardian
Looking Ahead
As the project enters its next phase, Infrakit will continue to play a central role—this time even more deeply embedded into the workflows from day one. “We’re planning to make Infrakit the primary interface for construction communication,” says Pike. “It’s the single source of truth that everyone can rely on.”
From pilot track to future network, the ride is only just beginning.