Kenilworth station Opened 30th April 2018

[IainG81]

Any chance of a service onto Nuneaton in the future? Or does that involve crossing lines slowing up faster services?

 

[swt_passenger]

It’s usually been explained as too difficult to path across Coventry, but it’s been reported in another forum that the local authority reckon such a service can operate from Dec 2019.

However our resident expert, The Planner, has often said here it is impossible.

 

[Class172]

It’s usually been explained as too difficult to path across Coventry, but it’s been reported in another forum that the local authority reckon such a service can operate from Dec 2019.

However our resident expert, The Planner, has often said here it is impossible.

I haven't got the facility to search for the post currently but I'm sure not too long ago it was stated that someone had managed to work out a potential path, at the expense of a freight path, to which The Planner said he was aware of the person who came up with the idea, so it might be possible. (Apologies if I've remembered this wrong)

 

[The Planner]

Nope, you are right, I still am a bit dubious of it as I think it could well be a bit of a performance nightmare but I have been wrong plenty of times before!

 

[boxy321]

How has this affected the XC service? Surely it's more comfortable than standing by the bogs for 12 minutes on a typically 45 minute late train. I bet it's half empty between Cov and Leamington now...

I actually couldn't even tell you the colour of the seats on the Manchester bound trains. Never even got beyond the vestibules before.

 

[HLE]

Nope, you are right, I still am a bit dubious of it as I think it could well be a bit of a performance nightmare but I have been wrong plenty of times before!

I’m with you on that. Can see the Leamington - Nuneaton held outside Coventry at either end because of a late running express.

Much better to keep them as shuttles and have good connection times at Coventry.

 

[nuneatonmark]

West Midlands Trains have stated publicly that from December the Nuneaton to Coventry service will be combined with the Leamington service to form a through Nuneaton to Leamington service using cascaded 172s. They have found a path, I heard it from the lips of the timetable planner that WMT uses, how it works in practice who knows.

 

[The Planner]

"use", we all feel like that, not sure that is how he would like being described though as every TOC/FOC employ their own planners.

 

[ajs1981]

London North Western's advertising announcement, at Leamington, stating that it departs 'every hour, on the hour, from platform 4' really doesn't help when it sometimes departs from platform 2.

This evening the 18:00 arrived on platform 3, went towards Banbury, and then came back onto platform 2. Is it possible for trains to come directly from the Coventry line into platform 2?

It could also have used platform 4 if the Chiltern Train, that doesn't leave until 18:11, had been let in first. Is there a general preference to use different platforms to stop people getting the wrong train?

Neither question is intended as a criticism of signalling choices.

 

[Ianno87]

I’m with you on that. Can see the Leamington - Nuneaton held outside Coventry at either end because of a late running express.

Much better to keep them as shuttles and have good connection times at Coventry.

How have the shuttles beem affecting the performance of the XC service - particularly going northwards, when the dogbox has to do a quick shufty out of the way to clear platform 4 at Cov?

 

[ChrisHogan]

How have the shuttles beem affecting the performance of the XC service - particularly going northwards, when the dogbox has to do a quick shufty out of the way to clear platform 4 at Cov?

One delay I noted yesterday was 2C85/5C86 arrived on time but was 4 mins late shunting (confusion over which way it was shunting?). 1M54 hit by a few minutes waiting platform 4 and congestion affecting 2Y23 (already running late from Northampton) and 1W17 through platform 3. Delay to the latter pair then screwed up the Coventry corridor with late starts of back workings from NS.

 

[STKKK46]

That announcement certainly doesn’t help - there is at least one a day booked to depart from platform 2. Also, they don’t all leave ‘on the hour’ - some are a bit off time.

Main issue with delays so far bizarrely enough has been XC’s knock ons by the looks of it. The dog box (touch wood) has performed very well and long may it continue.

 

[ChrisHogan]

That announcement certainly doesn’t help - there is at least one a day booked to depart from platform 2. Also, they don’t all leave ‘on the hour’ - some are a bit off time.

Main issue with delays so far bizarrely enough has been XC’s knock ons by the looks of it. The dog box (touch wood) has performed very well and long may it continue.

There were ten instances yesterday of late starts from Leamington per RTT (some only a minute) - all apparently caused by the Newcastle-Reading XC arriving late into platform 3. The latter service is notoriously unreliable from NS at xx33. As getting to Coventry with the new service and shunting promptly is key to avoiding further delays at Coventry, it seems the arrangements at Leamington are far from ideal. You wonder why Network Rail has agreed to anything that is bound to further disrupt the Coventry corridor.

 

[The Planner]

Believe me people were warned over it but sometimes the bigger picture gets involved...

 

[birchesgreen]

Well it was great to finally travel by train to Kenilworth today. Amusingly the ticket machines at New Street haven't been updated yet, the ticket office also had trouble finding it on the system. But we found it in the end.

 

[The Ham]

Believe me people were warned over it but sometimes the bigger picture gets involved...

Also, what is better, having a service which may be late by a minute or two late several times a day (or longer some other times) or no service, especially if the problems causing the issues are likely to be fixed in due course?

 

[yorksrob]

Also, what is better, having a service which may be late by a minute or two late several times a day (or longer some other times) or no service, especially if the problems causing the issues are likely to be fixed in due course?

Especially for something like Cross Country, which has conflicts all over the place anyway and always has done. Given the benefits of rejoining a town like Kennilworth to the network, XC might as well absorb the issues, since no one will probably notice them in the scheme of things.

 

[The Planner]

Unless the delay becomes attributable, whereupon something has to be done. XC won't accept them.

 

[Ianno87]

There were ten instances yesterday of late starts from Leamington per RTT (some only a minute) - all apparently caused by the Newcastle-Reading XC arriving late into platform 3. The latter service is notoriously unreliable from NS at xx33. As getting to Coventry with the new service and shunting promptly is key to avoiding further delays at Coventry, it seems the arrangements at Leamington are far from ideal. You wonder why Network Rail has agreed to anything that is bound to further disrupt the Coventry corridor.

The impending through working of the service to Nuneaton sudddenly starts to make sense if it helps avoid this rigmarole at Coventry and its knock-on impacts.

 

[Old Hill Bank]

So if WMT have for instance bid Mon-Sat paths xx-02 Leamington arrive Nuneaton xx-38 returning NN xx-16 arr Leam xx-53 based on two car 172s and a split service on Sun what would the problem be?

 

[adrock1976]

A quick question here.

Are there any plans to make Kenilworth station a passing loop at some point in the future?

I saw what appeared to be space for another platform and track on the Leamington side.

 

[swt_passenger]

A quick question here.

Are there any plans to make Kenilworth station a passing loop at some point in the future?

I saw what appeared to be space for another platform and track on the Leamington side.

Yes there are. What the latest timescales are is a very good question.

 

[The Planner]

Won't be a loop, will be doubled from Kenilworth loop to Milverton. Never got out of GRIP 2 or 3 if I recall.

 

[ChrisHogan]

So if WMT have for instance bid Mon-Sat paths xx-02 Leamington arrive Nuneaton xx-38 returning NN xx-16 arr Leam xx-53 based on two car 172s and a split service on Sun what would the problem be?

No platform at Coventry if it arrives xx19, can't depart to Nuneaton until after xx23 as Virgin WC from platform 3 departs xx22.5. Bournemouth-Manchester due xx24 needs platform 4 to be clear. More chance of finding a path through Coventry if WMT service ran behind XC Voyager from Leamington.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I suspect the answer is 'Yes if you put it in the loop for x amount of time', but could a (reasonable!) Kenilworth shuttle actually fit on a Sunday given that both XCs run that way?

 

[The Planner]

It is the reason it doesn't run Sunday.

 

[Ianno87]

It is the reason it doesn't run Sunday.

ISTR passenger trains can't be timed to cross in Kenilworth loop due to some signalling issue?

 

[Old Hill Bank]

My understanding is that WMT have bid for the Sunday paths.

 

[The Planner]

ISTR passenger trains can't be timed to cross in Kenilworth loop due to some signalling issue?

That was fixed as part of the station works, there used to be an overlap that overlapped an overlap.

 

[martinr1]

The new station was doing good business on Saturday 2nd June:-