Nicola Small has been working for Local Government in the transport sector since 2003, starting out in the field of Sustainable Transport and moving to infrastructure delivery in later years. Nicola has a track record of delivering soft measures as well as large infrastructure schemes.

In October 2017 Nicola moved to Coventry City Council to focus her attention on the rail sector, where she was a Senior Rail Programme Manager. Nicola was heavily involved in the development of Coventry Station Masterplan which opened to the public in March 2022. Since 2019 Nicola focused on working with partners to develop an urban Very Light Rail (VLR) integrated system to deliver the UK’s first urban VLR Demonstration line in Coventry City Centre.

Since September 2023, Nicola has been working as the VLR Programme Director on behalf of Coventry City Council and Transport for West Midlands working in close partnership with the Department for Transport to release funding and oversee the delivery of the VLR Regional Programme (VLRRP). As Programme Director, Nicola leads the Very Light rail team and promotes the benefits of urban Very Light Rail regionally, nationally and internationally.

Nicola was elected as Non – Executive Board Director for UK Tram in December 2024, enabling Nicola to campaign for Light Rail, share knowledge and learn from Industry Experts.

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