COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

Long-awaited plans for a new Coventry-Nuneaton train service stopping at the Ricoh Arena have hit severe delays due to budget problems.


Ricoh Arena rail station site

The new passenger service, called NUCKLE, was due to be completed by December.

But the Telegraph has learned the project is not now expected to be finished until mid-2015 at the earliest – 18 months behind schedule.

Building work on a new station at the Ricoh – for football fans, concert goers and visitors to the Arena Park shopping complex – was due to start in December 2012 and be completed this December. It is not now expected to open until autumn 2014.

The delays have been attributed to problems trying to deliver the Coventry City Council-led project within budget.

It is 16 months since government funding was won to secure the project’s go-ahead, after nearly a decade of stalled attempts.

The revamped passenger line will double the number of current hourly trains between Coventry and Nuneaton, with new stations and platforms for longer trains.

Asked about delays, a city council spokesman said: “The current completion date for the whole project is mid-2015, with the station built and in place at the Ricoh by autumn 2014.

“The current train service that passes there will be able to stop at the station from the date it is completed.

“Continuing work is taking place to enable the project to stay within the £23.5m budget resulting in the delays to early forecast completion dates.”

December was given as a completion date for the project eight months ago, when Coventry councillors granted planning permission.

The plan was for a maximum four trains an hour from Coventry on events and matchdays, and two trains an hour from Nuneaton.

In December 2011, the then Conservative transport secretary, Justine Greening, announced £9.8million funding towards the Coventry/Nuneaton phase one of NUCKLE (Nuneaton, Coventry, Kenilworth and Leamington).

Phase one also includes engineering works, a new station at Bermuda Park, and longer Bedworth station platform, and Coventry station would get a new six-coach bay platform.

It aims to relieve congestion on the roads for around 70,000 commuter journeys.

A phase two extension into south Warwickshire had long been shelved until some unknown future date.

The government claimed at the time it was one of 21 major transport schemes getting the go-ahead to help fast-track stalling economic growth.

Details of the latest funding problems are not known.

Delayed Ricoh Arena railway station won't be ready for new football season

A new railway station serving the Ricoh Arena will be open in time for the new Premiership rugby season.

The long-awaited station has been hit by new delays and is now expected to open in September, with Wasps kicking off their new campaign at the stadium in October.

But it means the station - which has been named Coventry Arena - will be out of action for the start of Coventry City FC's new season in August.

The football fixtures will be announced on June 17 and the rugby fixtures in July.

A Sky Blues spokesman said: “It’s disappointing news for those supporters who wanted to make use of the new service when coming to watch Coventry City.

“We are working hard to improve attendances next season so the more ways of accessing the stadium, the better.”

The unmanned arena station is part of the NUCKLE project - which also includes platform extensions at Bedworth and Coventry.

Pedestrian ramps were installed at Bermuda Park last weekend and new seating and shelters are already in at the Ricoh.

The station was due to be up and running this month as part of a £13.6million investment to improve the Nuneaton to Coventry rail line.

But problems relocating a signal and delays in buying equipment for the station has pushed the finish date back until August.

It also delays the opening of the new station at Nuneaton’s Bermuda Park.

However, even after the work is completed the stations will be out of service for another month while London Midland staff receive training.

London Midland’s director of passenger services, Tom Joyner, said: “Before the stations can be opened we need to train some 90 staff including station staff, conductors and drivers.

“This can only be done once the new stations are finished. This is disappointing, the building delay now means we are into a planned period of training for the new signalling layout in Stafford.

“Combined with the key holiday season there is a limit to how much training we can fit in at this time without having an impact on other rail services.”