Upgraded - the UK's only VLR

[whole diary]

[TonyK]

The line from Stourbridge Junction to Stourbridge Town is unique on a number of points:

- the only line using Class 139 Railcars anywhere
- the shortest branch line in the country, at 0.8 miles, and possibly Europe
- the country's only VLR (Very Light Rail) line
- and until recently, some of the oldest sleepers on a working line anywhere.

That last has just been amended, with the first total upgrade of the track since 1902. There is a time-lapse video, with slightly annoying subtitles but still worth a look here on YouTube. There is also an article in Rail Business Daily:

Upgrading Britain’s Shortest Branch Line

By Danny Longhorn
May 4, 2021



At just over ¾ of a mile long, the Stourbridge Branch Line is the shortest in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom).

It’s home to the Stourbridge Shuttle – a charming little operation that runs frequent passenger services between the local Town and the Junction railway station.

Operated by Pre Metro on behalf of West Midlands Railway, the service uses two Class 139 railcars that are currently found nowhere else in the world.

Pre-COVID, the service was carrying 650,000 passengers every year!

As the UK’s only currently operating Very Light Rail (VLR) system, the Shuttle presents itself as a low-cost, eco-friendly alternative to standard rail operations.

(Continues at source)

The video doesn't seem to show a lot of difference in track standard between heavy rail and VLR, but I still think that this model could be useful in a lot of places where connections between a mainline station and a remote town centre would have a positive impact on public transport usage.

[johnneyw]

I bashed the line (if that is the correct term) in autumn 2019.  I might almost miss the enlivening shaky quality of the ride now.

[TonyK]

I bashed the line (if that is the correct term) in autumn 2019.  I might almost miss the enlivening shaky quality of the ride now.

I understand that false teeth no longer have to be removed before riding.

[Red Squirrel]

The video doesn't seem to show a lot of difference in track standard between heavy rail and VLR...

Indeed; that fact that the track can support a 125-tonne locomotive hauling, presumably, fully-laden ballast hoppers suggests that the difference may not be that great. The video suggests that the line was already considered VLR before it was relaid, so perhaps VLR refers to the class 139 units rather than the track?

[IndustryInsider]

I should imagine they’d do a like for like replacement in terms of track standard.  There would be a few raised eyebrows if they wanted to return to running mainline trains at some point in the future, and the track wasn’t up to it.

[grahame]

I should imagine they’d do a like for like replacement in terms of track standard. 

Indeed ... I would suspect they would not want just one stretch of line with any sort of unique components - maintenance / spares nightmare!