COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

It comes into force next week



No trains will run between Nuneaton and Leamington via Coventry under timetable changes that come into force next week.

As of Monday (January 18) replacement buses will serve the former rail service between Leamington Spa and Nuneaton via Coventry.

West Midlands Railway (WMR) say the new-look timetable will be in place 'until further notice' and will be kept under regular review.

Changes have been made due to fewer people using trains due to national travel restrictions as well as the increased number of railway staff unable to work due to shielding or self-isolating.

With increased numbers of railway staff shielding or self-isolating, passengers are being urged to check their journeys before setting out to avoid any short-notice cancellations.

They are also being reminded that it is mandatory to wear a face covering while travelling on the railway network, unless exempt for medical reasons.

Meanwhile, customers holding tickets for travel which were purchased prior to the national lockdown announcement on January 4 are being advised they may be entitled to a refund – see here for more information:

https://www.westmidlandsrailway.co.uk/c ... vel-advice

Anger as hourly Nuneaton to Coventry and Leamington rail service will not be restored for months

Nuneaton rail campaigners have raged that people 'deserve a rail service just like in Birmingham, London or anywhere else in the country' amid more service delays.

It is has been revealed that the hourly service on the Nuneaton to Leamington line will not be reinstated until September at the earliest.

This means that people will continue to only have access to a train service every two hours with buses continuing to replace trains.

Stu Anderson, co-chair of the Nuneaton, Bedworth and Hinckley Rail Users Group, said the current situation is a 'disgrace' for those trying to access services for work purposes.

"This level predates when the line re opened to passenger traffic in 1986/1987 by then British Railways Regional Railways sector and is fine for the era, however we live in the 21st century now," he said.

"I am aware Covid shook the industry and the country hard and caught pretty much everyone by surprise however as the country is starting to open up again, people being vaccinated, people returning to work places and leisure travelling means why can't we have at least one train per hour," he said.

He fielded his complaint to West Midlands Trains and was told that the company faced 'significant challenges' with Covid-19 and driver training which has affected the network.

This includes the Leamington Depot, where the the drivers book in to operate services with residual effects from Covid-19.

"They have lost around 25,000 hours of training of new drivers and conductors and whilst they have hired train crew they still faced significant challenges around training and social distancing, whilst the social distancing is easing they are saying it will take up to two years before we will be back to pre pandemic train crew levels," he said.

"So until September 1 train per two hours will remain and buses replacing trains.

"We will continue to fight for our rail services to be introduced on the line as we still deserve a rail service just like in Birmingham, London or anywhere else in the country."

Crew shortage blamed as fury grows over lack of trains on Nuneaton-Leamington line



Crew shortages have been blamed as fury grows over lack of trains on the Nuneaton to Leamington line.

West Midlands Railway has said that the "root cause of all performance issues" on the line is down to the shortage of train crew

It comes as the company has said that it has extended its rail replacement buses on the route across Warwickshire to call at more stations from Monday to Saturday.

It posted the update on Twitter and it led to some angry responses, one in which said the situation was a 'farce'.

It read: "It’s a farce. It really is. Disgrace is more apt. Operator also should repay the taxpayers subsidy to ‘support’ services for the first three years - or repay a proportion for services which didn’t run."

Earlier this year, West Midlands Railway took the decision to stop the hourly rail service between the two towns, via Coventry.

Then the service was reintroduced at the end of April, but not hourly, instead it was once every two hours.

This has remained the case since and, despite mounting pressure, there is no clear date as to when the hourly service will be re-started.

Nuneaton-Leamington rail service resumes after suspension



A rail service is set to resume after being withdrawn at Christmas.

Trains will return between Nuneaton and Leamington Spa in Warwickshire on Sunday, West Midlands Railway confirmed.

The operator said staff shortages due to the Covid-19 pandemic had made it unable to operate the service and rail replacement buses were brought in.

It thanked customers for their patience and confirmed the full hourly service will be reinstated.

Jonny Wiseman, customer experience director, said: "I would like to thank our customers for their patience while we were forced to temporarily suspend the train service on this route.

"Like many industries, the Omicron variant had a significant impact on the railway."

Jeremy Wright MP, whose Kenilworth constituency is served by the route, said he expects West Midlands Railway will now "focus on maintaining and improving the service".