Coventry's green transport schemes in £115m funding boost

Plans for a light railway in Coventry were first put forward in 2018, before the city's became the 2021 UK City of Culture

Plans for a light railway in Coventry have moved closer after more than £115m was awarded to city transport projects.

The money will go towards schemes that increase cycling, walking and usage of public transport.

A "large chunk" will be spent on the planned light rail system where battery-operated, driverless vehicles would shuttle visitors around.

The government funding will be discussed by cabinet on 30 August before a vote on 6 September.

Plans for the light rail project, which has been described as a UK first, were initially put forward in 2018.

The project was part of a multi-million pound agreement between the city council and the University of Warwick, which was developing a rail link for the city.

Battery-operated, driverless vehicles would shuttle visitors between the railway station and the cultural attractions in the city centre

The vehicles would take people between the railway station and the cultural attractions in the city centre.

The latest infrastructure funding would go towards promoting sustainable transport in the city and could significantly reduce the number of emissions produced by the city's transport system, the council said.

Councillor Jim O'Boyle, cabinet member for jobs, regeneration and climate change said: "We have to encourage people to choose alternatives to the private car for some journeys and to do that we have to make sure that walking, cycling and public transport are attractive and viable alternatives in our city.

"That's why I'm really pleased that we've been able to secure such a significant amount of funding to help us do this.

"This funding will help us to lead a number of projects that will play a major role in the green transformation of our city's transport network."

The majority of the funding is from a successful bid to the Department for Transport's City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement as well as additional funding from the West Midlands Combined Authority Active Travel Fund and Sustrans' Paths for Everyone funding.