Approval given for train station at Kenilworth

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Planners have agreed Kenilworth will get its train station back.

The town’s not had a station since 1965 – and several schemes to bring one back have failed.

Now, Warwickshire County Council wants to spend £6.62 million on the project which will be based on the site of the current Bailey Buildbase builder’s merchants on Priory Road.

It would include a station office, two platforms, a car park and a footbridge and would be ready by 2013.

There’d be direct services to Coventry, Leamington and London by changing trains first, to Warwick, Stratford and Birmingham.

A Regulatory Committee has given it outline planning permission so developers will now come up with designs and send them back in to the council who will decide whether to approve them.

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Commuter joy at £5m fund boost for new Kenilworth train station

A major boost for Coventry and Warwickshire is expected today with the announcement of government funding for a new Kenilworth station.

The long-awaited go-ahead for the town, which lost its Victorian station in the 1960s, will alleviate commuter snarl-ups on major roads between Coventry and Leamington – and is expected to deliver a major boost for the region’s economy.

It paves the way for a new rail passenger service between Coventry, Kenilworth and Leamington, to be run by London Midland, who would also operate the station.

Conservative transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin was due in Kenilworth this afternoon to make an announcement of “great significance”.

The Telegraph has learned he will announce the government will finally award funding of up to £5million for the £11.3m new station project.

That signals the go-ahead for the scheme after years of campaigning by townspeople and politicians.

It comes as a welcome surprise – just two weeks after Warwickshire County Council’s bid for funding was rejected by the government in the first round of bidding to a £20m New Stations Fund.

Network Rail, administering the fund on behalf of the government’s Department of Transport, told the council it was “a strong bid”, but any potential go-ahead was not expected until much later this year.

But more information had been requested on the business case and progress on the “electrification” of the wider rail network.

The new station will be built very close to the former station – which has since made way for housing – at a site currently occupied by DIY merchants Buildbase in Priory Road.

Buildbase would be relocated before building the station gets underway in May 2015.

Mr McLoughlin will today meet Kenilworth and Southam MP Jeremy Wright, and the new Conservative county council leader Izzi Seccombe and deputy leader, Kenilworth councillor Alan Cockburn.

The main road between Coventry and Kenilworth via Gibbet Hill can get particularly congested in peak hours, as can the A452 road between Kenilworth and Leamington, where commuters often experience heavy delays.

The scheme could also alleviate traffic on the busy A46.

A new Kenilworth station has also long been expected to form part of a phase two of a new rail passenger service called Nuckle, which would link Coventry to Kenilworth, Leamington and towns in north Warwickshire.

Phase one of Nuckle between Coventry and Nuneaton, stopping at a new station at the Ricoh Arena and a new Coventry station platform, finally received £9.8m government funding last year.

But the £23m phase one has been hit by further delays due to unspecified further funding shortfalls, and is not now expected to be open until 2015.

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Questions raised over cost of town’s station



The cost of Kenilworth’s new station has been questioned with comparisons made to cheaper builds as diggers get ready to begin demolition.

But Warwickshire County Council is unable to provide a breakdown of costs - or an explanation of how the predicted £12.1 million will be spent while tendering is ongoing.

The long-awaited station rebuild has been given the £12.1 million price tag to include clearing works, the station build, and recreating footbridges and entrances for passengers on the site off Priory Road.

Resident and rail expert Alan Marshall has questioned the council’s projected figures, questioning why the project is expected to cost so much compared with other new station builds.

Calling for more details on the cost, he said: “It is, of course, welcome news that work is to start soon on Kenilworth’s new railway station. But why is it costing so much?

“New stations currently being developed between Oxford and Bicester have lower costs while being built for longer trains.

“The station most similar in scale to Kenilworth’s at Islip is costing only £2.5 million, little more than a fifth of the price quoted for our station.

“And the largest station between Oxford and Bicester – Water Eaton Parkway, which will provide parking for 425 cars and will also have two eight-car length platforms – is costed at £10 million.

“Why is Kenilworth’s station estimated to cost relatively so much more?”

A Warwickshire County Council spokesman said that specific costs or a breakdown of pricing for the project cannot be given at this time, the pricing is an estimate, and may come out as cheaper as part of the tendering process.

The Department for Transport’s New Stations Fund and Network Rail has awarded nearly £5 million towards the cost of construction, following a successful bid to the New Stations Fund.

Work is due to start this spring, with trains running by the end of 2016.

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Coventry to Kenilworth train services on track with new station



TRAINS are on track to stop at Kenilworth for the first time in half a century next year on the new Coventry to Leamington so-called NUCKLE passenger service.

New stations have already been built at Coventry Arena (at the Ricoh Arena) and Bermuda Park.

Road works are underway at Warwick Road by Coventry station to build a new platform there for the NUCKLE (Nuneaton, Coventry, Kenilworth, Leamington) service, which trebles trains between Coventry and Nuneaton.

A ‘spade in the ground’ event on Friday marked the start of work on the new Kenilworth station.

It is expected to be operational next year and will be located in Priory Road, town centre – a stone’s throw away from the site of the old Victorian station site in Station Approach at the end of Station Road.

It was a victim of the ‘Lord Beeching’ widespread rail station closures, in the 1960s.

The start-of-work event was attended by Kenilworth MP Jeremy Wright, Warwickshire County Council’s Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Transport & Planning, Councillor Peter Butlin, and Mayor of Kenilworth, councillor Richard Davies.

The £23million NUCKLE project is being funded by Coventry City Council in addition to the county council and Department for Transport (DfT).

Nick Abell, Coventry & Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership board member, said: “We are delighted that funding through the Growth Deal has helped to make this important project possible.

“The station will provide a vital transport link and boost for the local economy and we’re delighted to celebrate this milestone in the project.”

We reported last week delays to trains stopping at the Ricoh Arena station which opened year for matchdays and events are finally being addressed, with the new Coventry council leadership agreeing a pilot scheme to use former London Undergound tube stations for events.

The new platform at Coventry station – which prevents the new additional local trains slowing down Intercity fast trains on the West Coast Main Line – is considered crucial to attempts to rejuvenate struggling Coventry city centre, including with the Friargate business development for which the council itself is so far the only confirmed tenant.

The Kenilworth station follows a long campaign by ASK (A Station for Kenilworth).

The old 1844 station, which closed to both goods and passenger traffic in 1965, included a footbridge which will be a ‘heritage style’ feature of the new station.

Two original stained glass windows and a Kenilworth rail station sign salvaged from the town’s former station have been donated to Warwickshire County Council to be included in the new station design.

The council says the historic pieces were rescued and kept safe after they were saved from the demolition of the original station in the 1980s.

Operator London Midland and the county council have been working together to develop the specification for the new station building, which will include a ticket office and a community cafe.

Stratford Parkway Rail Station also opened in 2013.

Again! I'll believe it when I see it!

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Kenilworth Station costs likely to go up by £373,000



The cost to build Kenilworth Station is likely to go up by £373,000, Warwickshire County Council has confirmed.

The council’s cabinet is expected to ask the full council to use money from its contingency budget after the delayed completion date of December 2017 meant costs went up.

Costs increased because the delay meant project management and consultation costs went up. Another risk analysis was also needed, which added further costs to the bill.

The cabinet will make a decision on the recommendation on Thursday June 16, but it is highly likely the council will want the extra money to be spent. A final decision will be made by full council on Tuesday July 18.

Assuming the council decide to use the money, the final cost for the project will be up to £13.6 million.

A spokesman for the county council said they will release a statement pending the outcome of the full council meeting in July.

In her report to the cabinet, council officer Hannah Collett said: “The scheme is anticipated to generate substantial benefits to the town and to the wider sub-region.

“It is expected that the new station and train service will significantly enhance rail access for the residents of Kenilworth and time savings to existing and new rail passengers, as well as support the economic development of the sub-region.”

Once up and running, the station will operate an hourly shuttle service between Coventry and Leamington. The trains and station will be run by London Midland.

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Bridge and lift shafts installed at Kenilworth Station



The new bridge and lift shafts on the Kenilworth Station site have now been installed.



A 500-tonne crane raised the 16-metre bridge and the lift shafts into place over the last month.



The station is still set to open this December, and will now be run by West Midlands Trains after London Midland lost the contract to the West Midlands rail franchise, which includes the route Kenilworth Station will be on. It will run an hourly service between Coventry and Leamington.

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Kenilworth Station's opening delayed until February next year



The opening of Kenilworth Station has been delayed until February next year, it has now been confirmed.

Despite sources informing the KWN the opening was delayed, Warwickshire County Council only confirmed the news today (Monday December 4).

While the construction of the £13.6 million station is now complete, a train for the service will not be available until February.

Joint managing director of the council Monica Fogarty, who in a previous interview claimed the Transport Secretary Chris Grayling MP had promised a service would be available, blamed the Department for Transport for the latest delay.

She said: "The Department is unable to supply the train and drivers in order to meet the December opening date, and this is beyond disappointing for the people of Kenilworth.

"The County Council so wanted to be able to deliver as promised on this exciting scheme for Kenilworth and we share your disappointment. That said, two more months, having waited 53 years is not long, and it will be worth the wait.

"I want Kenilworth to know that your council, county councillors and MP have all worked until the last minute to try to persuade the DfT to deliver and it is such a shame that this has not proved possible."

Speaking to the KWN after her initial statement, Monica the council had been in talks with the DfT about delivering the station on time until Friday December 1, when she 'threw in the towel'.

She added: "Up until that week, it was still doable. When we got to last week, we thought we've got to let people know what's happening."

This is the third time the station has been delayed. The original opening date was December 2016, then August 2017, then December 2017, and now February 2018.

And with costs now reaching £13.6 million for a station which will provide an hourly service between Leamington and Coventry, Monica denied the station's construction was a mistake.

She said that although the service will be hourly to begin with, she was confident increased demand would encourage the station and train operators West Midlands Trains to increase the frequency of its service.

And when asked whether anyone could now trust the revised February date, Monica added: "We're at the mercy of the rail industry to some extent. It's only as definite as the promise."

In response to the news, town councillor Richard Dickson said: "To have delayed this £13 million project once (from last December to August this year) was a misfortune. To have delayed it a second time to December 10 looked a bit like carelessness. Now to delay it a third time is beyond belief.

"To make matters worse the county council has chosen to cast all the blame on the Department for Transport.

"To say that Kenilworth has waited 53 years and that another two months won't hurt displays an out of touch arrogance that is beyond belief.

"This is the single biggest inward investment in the town for decades. Kenilworth residents demand better from its County Council, its staff who are paid to manage such huge projects properly and its County Councillors who are elected."

The DfT has been contacted for comment.

Once again, I'll believe it when I see it!

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Train operator casts doubt on Kenilworth Station opening date

The new operator of Kenilworth Station has cast doubt on the station’s recently announced opening date of Monday February 26.

West Midlands Railway, part of West Midlands Trains, tweeted the station would be open ‘by the end of the month’ and that it did not have a confirmed opening date in response to a question from a customer.

This contradicts the announcement made on Saturday February 10 by Warwickshire County Council’s joint managing director Monica Fogarty that the station would be up and running on Monday February 26.

When asked for clarification, head of corporate affairs West Midlands Trains Francis Thomas said: “Station opening dates are always subject to final inspections, legal and regulatory approvals.

“All of these matters are outside of West Midlands Trains’ control, so we can’t confirm a specific date yet, hence the Twitter response. The train and train crew are ready as soon as the building is signed off.”

The opening of the £13.6 million station has been delayed three times.

The original opening date was December 2016, then August 2017, then December 2017.

Once open, the station will run an hourly service between Coventry and Leamington.

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County council refuse to reveal fee to be paid to Kenilworth Station operators to cover losses



Warwickshire County Council refused to reveal the fee to be paid the operators of Kenilworth Station to cover their potential losses when they start running it.

An earlier Freedom of Information request made by Kenilworth resident Maurice Miller showed the council originally agreed to underwrite any losses made by West Midlands Railway, who will run the station when it opens.

The council's joint managing director, Monica Fogarty, said this information was no longer correct, and said a one-off payment will instead be made by the council.

But when asked for clarification on what size of the payment would be, the council said it could not reveal the figure and that the final amount was still being negotiated.

A spokesman for Warwickshire County Council said: "At the moment, that's commercially sensitive information. It would compromise our position."

The news comes after county council leader Cllr Izzi Seccombe announced the creation of a 'Task and Finish Group' at a council meeting yesterday (Tuesday March 20) to investigate why the project has been delayed so many times.

An opening date for the station has still not been announced.

However, the council said it has now submitted key information to the rail regulator, who will then confirm when services can start running.

Ms Fogarty said: “We are nearly there. I know it has been frustrating for residents who are looking forward to using the station. We would like to thank everyone for their patience.”

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Kenilworth rail station reopens after 50 years



Kenilworth station has reopened to passengers after decades of campaigning.

The station shut in the 1960s as part of the Dr Beeching cuts.

Residents, who campaigned for 30 years for the station, had been promised it would open in 2016 but the start date kept getting put back.

Passengers said it was "absolutely brilliant" to see the station open and they hoped it will boost trade in the Warwickshire town.

Residents and visitors will be able to use an hourly service in each direction between Coventry and Leamington Spa, except for Sundays.

One man at the station told the BBC he would take advantage of those locations' London links.

He said: "I think it will give us a lot more flexibility in Kenilworth.

"I'm really looking forward to taking the routes down to Marylebone or Euston - so Coventry or Leamington, that would be handy for me."

A woman who normally commutes to Coventry by bus added: "It will be a big change for me - it's going to cut [the journey] down from about one hour to 10 minutes."

Francis Thomas, from West Midlands Railway, which operates the service, said the service had created "a real buzz around the town".

Work started on the station in Priory Road, the site of the previous station, in early 2015. The estimated cost then was £11.3m.

Monica Fogarty, the joint managing director of Warwickshire County Council, added delays to the opening would be looked at.

"There's big lessons to be learned in this for us, there's no doubt about that," she said.

"Now that the station is up and running, that is what we are going to be turning our attention to."

The station closed to passengers in 1965 for no good reason but remained open for parcels.