Kenilworth Station opening could be delayed until August 2017

An artist's impression of what Kenilworth Station could look like

The news confirms Kenilworth Lib Dem county councillor John Whitehouse’s belief that the station was unlikely to be finished by the expected date of December 2016 – as the  Kenilworth Weekly News reported last week.

Cllr Cockburn (Con, Kenilworth St John’s) explained the delays were down to the Department for Transport (DfT) and Network Rail insisting Warwickshire County Council (WCC) await the publication of the Hendy Report, which recommended changes to how the Government should upgrade in the country’s rail network. He added: “The Hendy Report has now been published and includes the infrastructure required to provide a rail service to Kenilworth Station.

“Some discussions are still ongoing but we are reasonably confident that the construction contract will be signed in mid-March with a completion date of March 2017. Network Rail anticipate that the track and signalling works at Kenilworth and at Leamington will be completed in April 2017.

“The contractual date for the availability of the rolling stock is August 2017, but all the parties have agreed to use their best endeavours to bring that date forward.”

Work on the station was expected to start in late 2015. Planning permission to start work on reopening the station was granted in 2011, but funding for the work was initially refused by WCC. The DfT announced a new fund to construct or renovate stations in 2013, and WCC applied for a £5 million grant. It was awarded to the council in June of that year, with the total cost of the project being £12.1 million.