Railroad Development Corporation and TDI Greenway merge

The US international railway investment company, Railroad Development Corporation, and the British developer of lightweight VLR stock are to merge their Pop-Up metro and Very Light rail sectors, with RDC taking a 50% stake in TDI Greenway. Pop-Up Metro has been developing projects for low-cost passenger services in North America using existing freight tracks and featuring the Vivarail developed re-working of former London Underground District Line stock. Vivarail entered administration at the end of December 2022 with two battery trainsets supplied to RDC.  

 

TDI Greenway has developed the VLR lightweight railcar  for lightly-used branch lines, and its offshoot the Lync VLR tram (to be demonstrated in Coventry). Rolling stock leasing company Eversholt has placed an order for three battery railcars for trials. RDC still wants to develop the Pop-Up metro concept using the District Line fleet originally acquired by Vivrail, although the defunct company’s battery train assets and intellectual property have been acquired by First Group’s Great Western Railway. RDC Chairman Henry Posner III said, ‘RDC’s business model is based on partnerships; by combining our Pop-Up Metro subsidiary with TDI Greenway we will gain the breadth and capability to more-rapidly advance projects in North America and abroad. We have admired TDI’s tenacity, innovation and progress from across the Atlantic, including its development of the VLR vehicle, and believe we are stronger together’.