New Ricoh station bid “cheaper with more benefits”

[dutchman]

The people behind a fresh bid for a train station at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena say it will cost less money and bring more benefits.



Originally Coventry council asked the government for £15.8 million pounds to create a new line between Coventry and Nuneaton that would also see a station at Bedworth’s Bermuda Park.

The plans suffered a big setback last year when the government failed to approve it or put it into a pool of schemes that could apply for whatever money they had left after the Spending Review.

Earlier this year the scheme nicknamed ‘KNUCKLE’ finally made it onto the short list and Coventry and Warwickshire’s councils and transport bodies like Centro are preparing a bid due to be sent in next month.

It will compete with 44 other schemes for a share of £650 million pounds.

Local campaigners are in favour of improvements to the line as an alternative to the proposed high-speed rail project linking London and Birmingham set to run through Warwickshire.

Cabinet member for City Development in Coventry, Linda Bigham, thinks the new project will look very attractive to the government:

“For every pound spent there would be two pounds eighty-two of benefit in rough terms and that is the sort of thing government are looking hard at, what sort of benefit we can show from it.

“It’s one of those things where you are suppressing your excitement. The amount of work that has been done behind the scenes to look at these costs and prove our case has been extensive.”

A decision is due by the end of the year.