Coventry Arena Station (opening now expected September 2015)

[OwlMan]

The local paper has some photos of this new station

http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/look-new-ricoh-arena-station-9367713

Work on Coventry’s newest railway station is reaching its final stages, with the ambitious project due to be completed this month.

The platform at the city’s Ricoh Arena – which is part of the Coventry to Nuneaton NUCKLE rail improvement scheme – is almost finished, with waiting shelters and seats already installed at the site.

The work is part of the £13.6million rail upgrade which is also seeing another station being built at Bermuda Park in Nuneaton, alongside an extension to the platform at Bedworth Rail Station....

 

[GrimsbyPacer]

Is Coventry FC back at the Ricoh now then?
I remember them playing in Northampton at Home not long ago.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Is Coventry FC back at the Ricoh now then?
I remember them playing in Northampton at Home not long ago.

Yes they are. I don't know how much that affected the business case for it mind, it's also used for egg chasing and concerts, and the area around it has a lot of commercial and leisure facilities IIRC.

 

[bnsf734]

The Ricoh Arena is home to Wasps Rugby team as well now. (Wasps actually own the stadium). I took a look at Bermuda Park in Nuneaton today and there is more work required to get it to the same state as Arena Park, but the contractors were hard at work, so hopefully should be open soon.

Wasps played Leicester Tigers a couple of weeks ago with a sellout crowd of 32000 or so. Had the station been open I am not sure how the class 153 and the usual packed class 170's on the Birmingham/Leicester/Stansted service would have coped with the crowds. Hopefully the train operators have some ideas......

 

[HilversumNS]

I'd love to know exactly why this is considered an "ambitious project"

 

[DownSouth]

I'd love to know exactly why this is considered an "ambitious project"

It probably refers to the heroic efforts needed by the courageous press officer to meet the bold quota of adjectives required in the press release.

 

[HLE]

It's been years in the making, a lot of to-ing and fro-ing , to see some of the scheme completed feels like an achievement in itself. At one point a couple of years ago the project looked dead in the water!

Bermuda needs a lot doing to it, but it's do-able if they want to meet the 21 June deadline.

Not sure whether the football/fans fans would really fit on the 153

 

[Scotty]

ps played Leicester Tigers a couple of weeks ago with a sellout crowd of 23000 or so.

32,000. Maybe some shuttles from Coventry station, similar to the ones at Man Utd?

 

[HilversumNS]

A new 6 car bay platform is being/going to be build to the north of the current platforms at Coventry station to accommodate the shuttle service to Nuneaton.

This will also avoid this service having to cross the WCML to get in and out of platform 2 as it currently does.

Previous thread with additional details here: http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=69155
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
And just 2 days after the local rag said that this ambitious project would be ready at the end of the month ....

http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/delayed-ricoh-arena-railway-station-9384611

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

Construction work has gone over schedule - meaning it will be open for new rugby campaign, but too late for Sky Blues' first home games.

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.”

 

[OwlMan]

The opening has been put back to September


http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/delayed-ricoh-arena-railway-station-9384611

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....

 

[plastictaffy]

Hardly a surprise it's delayed where LM are involved.......

 

[Aictos]

Hardly a surprise it's delayed where LM are involved.......

Tad unfair, how do you know it's LM at fault here when it could well be Network Rail and their contractors at fault here and also there could be any number of reasons why the project has been delayed, too many for me to list!

 

[plastictaffy]

Because I deal with them every single day, and they couldn't run a bath, ergo it's almost guaranteed to be their fault.

 

[HilversumNS]

The Coventry Telegraph also mentions LM:

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


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.


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.

How do you train station staff for an unmanned station?

I suspect that the article 2 days before was based on some peddled story that they have now got round to actually checking. Terrible reporting, even if it is a local rag.

 

[bnsf734]

It was mentioned on the BBC Midlands Today TV programme today that Coventry Arena would be opening in September. I thought it was an error when I heard it, but apparently not.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Is Bermuda Park still on course for the original June date then, or are both put back?

 

[HilversumNS]

Bermuda Park was always running behind Arena. No date in the Cov. Evening Telegraph.

I would like to think that LM do whatever training for both stations in one go.

 

[HLE]

The Coventry Telegraph also mentions LM:



How do you train station staff for an unmanned station?

I suspect that the article 2 days before was based on some peddled story that they have now got round to actually checking. Terrible reporting, even if it is a local rag.

One can only hope it's training on new stock ! The 153 is packed anyway without these two new stations without advertising it as a park and ride !

Wishful thinking i suppose!

 

[TomJ93]

What's going on at Cov P4? Wooden hoardings were up last time I passed by.

Also RTT was showing the arena as a calling point already.

 

[The Planner]

It will do as that's how they were bid from LM.

 

[Class 170101]

The calls will be removed under the STP process.

 

[plastictaffy]

I would like to think that LM do whatever training for both stations in one go.

That's where you went wrong, see, thinking!!! We're paid to do, not think, as we keep being told.

 

[HilversumNS]

That's where you went wrong, see, thinking!!! We're paid to do, not think, as we keep being told.

Yea, I thought that too. DOH

 

[LAX54]

Blimey, I remember when I used to work at Bedlam Lane Level Crossing Signalbox ! late 70's only passenger service we had was on a Saturday night, which were DMU's Coventry - Nuneaton taking passengers off the WCML for engineering, rest of the time 'freight only'

 

[HLE]

Now that is going back some years! Looking at some photos from that era its pretty much unrecognisable today.

 

[HilversumNS]

I sent an email to the NUCKLE team last week regarding the opening of Coventry Arena and Bermuda Park:

Dear Leo

Thank you for your e-mail

An opening date of 17 August has now been confirmed for the two new stations at Coventry Arena and Bermuda Park. This is subject to the stations being handed over to London Midland by the contractor by 9 August.


Thanks,
Nicola Small
Principal Transport Planner