Meet the UKTram Board: A Vision for Sustainable Travel with Nicola Small

As part of our ongoing Meet the UKTram Board series, we’re shining a spotlight on the people shaping the future direction of UKTram and the wider light rail sector. This edition features Nicola Small, a highly experienced transport professional whose two decades in local government have been defined by a commitment to sustainable mobility and innovative mass transit solutions.  

Now serving as Very Light Rail (VLR) Regional Programme Director at Transport for West Midlands and Coventry VLR Programme Director at Coventry City Council, Nicola brings a unique dual-perspective and deep technical insight to the UKTram Board at a pivotal time for the sector. 

Q: Your career has spanned over two decades in local government and transport planning. What initially drew you to sustainable transport and what keeps you passionate about it today?  

Nicola: I started my career in the private sector, having secured a Graduate Project Manager position with a market research company. It gave me the opportunity to use my language skills (I graduated with a joint honours degree in French and Italian), but I soon felt I had sold out on my moral principles, working to help brands I didn’t care about sell us more things we don’t need. 

I used to ride a bike the short distance to work, and I felt the benefits that I couldn’t see in my colleagues who spent their mornings driving to work, getting stuck in traffic, looking for a parking space, and feeling stressed about their commute.  

I went to an ethical careers conference at the University of Warwick, hosted by the brilliant political comedian Mark Thomas and he gave me the idea to work in local government. I started searching for jobs at my local Council, Warwickshire County Council – and there it was, my perfect job – Sustainable Travel Officer – promoting walking, cycling and car sharing to schools and businesses. I knew I had the skills to do it. I was passionate about the benefits of cycling to work, so I applied!  

I loved my job, talking to others and convincing them to think about sustainable travel! I became a team leader in 2004, then moved into Transport Planning in 2010, took a BTEC Level 6 in Transport Planning and Traffic Management alongside my job (and raising children!) As my knowledge grew, so did my appetite to deliver bigger projects.  

I saw the vision Coventry had for its transport network and was excited by the prospect of working on something transformative and game-changing for the industry. I applied for the Programme Manager role for VLR and Coventry Station Masterplan in 2017 and the rest is history… 

Q: The Coventry Very Light Rail project is a landmark initiative for the sector. What excites you most about its potential impact on urban mobility and city regeneration? 

Nicola: What we know from the data is that most bus users are non-car owners; they use the bus because they have to. When you look at those who choose to travel by rail or light rail, many have decided to leave a car at home.  

Permanent infrastructure offers car owners an appealing alternative. VLR provides an affordable mass transit solution for cities that currently can’t afford a conventional light rail scheme. It can also be used to deliver extensions to existing schemes that might otherwise be unaffordable.  

I am excited by the prospect of more UK cities offering their residents and visitors access to high-quality, permanent public transport that drives a modal shift away from car use. 

Q: How does this dual perspective working with Coventry and WMCA help you shape regional and national conversations about light rail?

Nicola: It’s been challenging at times working for two organisations. However, they do have one thing in common – a shared vision to improve public transport connectivity and deliver affordable, accessible services to all.  

Coventry has been committed to VLR since the concept was conceived in 2016, and with the unwavering political support from Cllr O’Boyle and visionary leadership from the top down, the project has gone from strength to strength.  

In 2023, VLR became a retained scheme by the DfT due to its value and R&D nature; consequently, it made sense for me to work for WMCA through TfWM to promote VLR regionally and nationally.  

Coventry enables us to deliver a pioneering solution to a problem, focusing on innovation and decarbonisation while ensuring it aligns with community needs. 

WMCA gives the project a broader remit and can ensure Coventry’s work aligns and informs regional transport strategies, funding priorities and policy frameworks. It also allows us to bring together regional and national stakeholders and should open doors to investment and national partnerships that might not be possible otherwise.  

Q: As a UKTram Board member what opportunities do you think lie ahead for light rail in the UK? 

Nicola: The recent funding announcement for mass transit investment provides the sector with a great opportunity to deliver more extensions and new schemes; however, the cost makes light rail unaffordable for most cities.  

One of the opportunities that excites me most is the opportunity provided by developments in technology. Battery technology is advancing all the time, and if trams and VLR can travel more miles without OLE, that offers a huge opportunity to drive down infrastructure costs. 

Advances in technology that support driverless operation also help us reduce operating costs. I’m also excited by the opportunity to create new standards for VLR and challenge the regulatory framework to streamline processes and deliver at speed. If we can save time and money and deliver more for less, we can transform more cities into places where people thrive. 

Q: And just for fun, if you could take a tram ride anywhere in the world (past, present or future) where would it be and why?

Nicola: I always wanted to ride the infamous Lisbon Tram 28 – because I love anything heritage – but I completed that dream in 2021. I’d love to ride the tram 4 in Zurich, Switzerland – I hear it’s super-efficient and you get great views of lakes and mountains – sounds pretty perfect to me! 

Nicola offers a valuable voice as UKTram continues to shape its long-term strategy and support the development of future schemes. Her experience across both Coventry and the wider region places her at the heart of ongoing conversations about affordability and technology and we’re delighted to have her on board, contributing to the sector’s growth.  

Stay tuned for the next edition of Meet the UKTram Board, where we’ll introduce another leader guiding light rail into its next chapter.