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Kenilworth station Opened 30th April 2018

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pdeaves

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Hope he brings a few flasks and sandwiches for him and his entourage....or will someone let him know what exactly is happening on that day?

It's quite common for a station (or anything else in other walks of life, for that matter) to have the opening ceremony formalities ages before or after the station actually opens.
 
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Freightmaster

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It's quite common for a station (or anything else in other walks of life, for that matter) to have the opening ceremony formalities ages before or after the station actually opens.
...like Ordsall Chord a few weeks ago! :smile:


MARK
 

Xenophon PCDGS

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It's quite common for a station (or anything else in other walks of life, for that matter) to have the opening ceremony formalities ages before or after the station actually opens.

It was common in the very early days of the railways of Britain after the opening ceremonies had been attended to on site, for the assembled dignatories to assemble in a nearby hostelry to enjoy the delights offered by a "cold collation" (according to notes written at the time).
 

jharr

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Weirdly they mention ‘unfinished bits being cordoned off’.

So a 153 then, if this happens to start with.

I suspect they meant parts of the station building and forecourt rather than a chunk of platform...
 

HLE

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I can imagine a scene with a temporary stop board erected on a 23m length of platform!

Paperwork issues are no doubt holding the majority of the completion up again.
 

keithkondakor

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It has been delayed at least until February

from Leamington press
https://leamingtonobserver.co.uk/news/kenilworth-railway-station-opening-delayed-until-february/
THE NEXT train at Kenilworth Station will not be arriving on time.

The town’s new £12million station was set to open on Sunday (December 10) but despite being completed there will be no trains available to operate on the line running between Leamington and Coventry until February.

Monica Fogarty, Warwickshire County Council’s joint managing director, said: “The hugely disappointing news is that the Department for Transport (DfT) has not been able to meet the same pace as the Council. The DfT tells us there will be no train service until February.

“The department is unable to supply the train and drivers in order to meet the December opening date, and this is beyond disappointing for the people of Kenilworth

“The county council so wanted to be able to deliver as promised on this exciting scheme for Kenilworth and we share your disappointment. That said, two more months, having waited 53 years is not long, and it will be worth the wait.

“I want Kenilworth to know that your council, county councillors and MP have all worked until the last minute to try to persuade the DfT to deliver and it is such a shame that this has not proved possible.”

“On the positive side and looking to the future, we are weeks away from having a new service.

“The station looks fantastic and true to the design which the Kenilworth people voted for. It is a station much deserved by Kenilworth and after 20 plus years of battling we are on the brink of a change which will support the continuing economic prosperity of the town.

“The council would like to thank the people of Kenilworth for their patience and understanding during the period of disruption whilst we worked around the clock to get the station ready for early December.”

Details of service operation will be made available shortly.

The DfT New Station Fund contributed £5million to the total cost of the Kenilworth Station project, with the remainder of the funding being provided by local transport bodies and the county council.

The new Station Road station – on the site of the town’s former station which closed in 1965 as part of the so-called Beeching Cuts – will also include a ticket office, 90-space car park and cycle parking.
.

and also in leamington courier
https://www.leamingtoncourier.co.uk...ng-delayed-until-february-next-year-1-8275045

This is the third time the station has been delayed. The original opening date was December 2016, then August 2017, then December 2017, and now February 2018. And with costs now reaching £13.6 million for a station which will provide an hourly service between Leamington and Coventry, Monica denied the station's construction was a mistake. She said that although the service will be hourly to begin with, she was confident increased demand would encourage the station and train operators West Midlands Trains to increase the frequency of its service.

Read more at: https://www.leamingtoncourier.co.uk...ng-delayed-until-february-next-year-1-8275045
 
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HLE

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No surprises there then. The council blamed the ORR over the Coventry Arena hold up.

Not publicly though, but on a phone call.

February seems unusual, where is the additional dogbox coming from? Is Vivarail’s first 230 going to be in service by then, releasing the 153 that’s booked on the Vale? Or will we see a 153 transferred from another operator?
 

Class172

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No surprises there then. The council blamed the ORR over the Coventry Arena hold up.

Not publicly though, but on a phone call.

February seems unusual, where is the additional dogbox coming from? Is Vivarail’s first 230 going to be in service by then, releasing the 153 that’s booked on the Vale? Or will we see a 153 transferred from another operator?
It could come from one of the 170+153 diagrams that LM run, although that will clearly have a side-effect of reducing capacity on those services.
 

The Quincunx

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The part of the DfT that administers the New Station Fund is entirely separate from the part that is arranging the rolling stock.
 

Xenophon PCDGS

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It has been delayed at least until February

from Leamington press
https://leamingtonobserver.co.uk/news/kenilworth-railway-station-opening-delayed-until-february/ (seem to be down at the moment)

THE NEXT train at Kenilworth Station will not be arriving on time. The town’s new £12million station was set to open on Sunday (December 10) but despite being completed there will be no trains available to operate on the line running between Leamington and Coventry until February.

Was that the same type of situation faced after all the Todmorden Chord infrastructural and signalling works were fully completed and the planned Manchester Victoria - Copy Pit line - Blackburn train service was not able to run for many weeks afterwards?
 

BlythPower

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The station building (the bit that the council are responsible for) was never going to be completed by Sunday. So it's quite convenient that the council can blame the railway end of things instead...
 

BlythPower

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And the railway fights back...
https://www.kenilworthweeklynews.co...ult-department-for-transport-claims-1-8275869

A DfT spokesman said: "After many months of working in partnership with Warwickshire County Council, it is extremely disappointing that they are attempting to blame a further delay to the opening of Kenilworth station on the Department for Transport.
“The station was originally supposed to open many months ago, and the council and its contractors again appear to have failed to meet a revised delivery date to get the station ready for service.
“As the sponsor, it is the council’s responsibility to obtain industry agreement from Network Rail, the train operator and the ORR to enable the service to start operation - which it has been unable to achieve."
 

BlythPower

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Having taken a look at the building site today, there's still an awful lot of work to be done. Both the building and the surroundings are nowhere near being ready for Sunday. Ironically, the 'road to nowhere' footbridge is looking the most finished bit...
 

yorksrob

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A mere hiccup. What's a few week's wait compared to fifty-two years.
 

trains2064

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The local press isn’t exactly the font of all information. So the Station is going to be a little late. All parties have had little hold ups along the way. Be it a week or a few weeks. One party can’t start till another has finished. The Crew training isn’t going to start till the end of constructing and other alterations are completed or nearly. Today route learning starts so February 19th looks like it will be the date.
 

Xenophon PCDGS

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The local press isn’t exactly the font of all information. So the Station is going to be a little late. All parties have had little hold ups along the way. Be it a week or a few weeks. One party can’t start till another has finished. The Crew training isn’t going to start till the end of constructing and other alterations are completed or nearly. Today route learning starts so February 19th looks like it will be the date.

The original hope in the outset was that the station would open in 2016, this then was revised to August 2017.....then December 2017....now February 2018. So to be correct, it is more than "a little late".
 

trains2064

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The original hope in the outset was that the station would open in 2016, this then was revised to August 2017.....then December 2017....now February 2018. So to be correct, it is more than "a little late".
You miss my point! Yes the have been loads of hold ups! Each party from day one has had a part to play. The Target of 2016 was nice but never going to be achievable. August 2017 could have worked but more work not only on network rail part ie moving of track and signaling and track alternation meant it slipped early on in 2017 to December. The was then an issue during Station construction that gave a delay of about 8 weeks. The was always a date that roads learning for train crew would start and that was about 6-7 weeks before opening so at the moment February 19th a date which has been in the public domain for about 2 months. The unit has always been available. I’m told it’s the maintenance spare so not great but as 3 153’s run around coupled to 170’s something will be short formed. The is no delay caused by LM becoming WM at least not yet. There bit is running to schedule it the schedule that’s slipped.
 

Mr Fizz

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The dogbox used today probably came off the Chase Line. My usual early morning service was minus its dogbox, meaning myself and dozens of others could not get on at Tame Bridge. 'Unit availability' being the LM excuse.
 

STKKK46

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The dogbox used today probably came off the Chase Line. My usual early morning service was minus its dogbox, meaning myself and dozens of others could not get on at Tame Bridge. 'Unit availability' being the LM excuse.
Quick check of RTT shows it is the 153 that comes off the 07:02 Great Malvern - Birmingham New Street. Usually goes 170+153 to Tyseley but today and yesterday split at BHM to go ECS from Platform 9 to Leamington Spa. I assume your unit was genuinely unavailable.
 

Mr Fizz

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Quite possibly then. Either way us passengers are once again inconvenienced by lack if rolling stock.
 

STKKK46

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Quite possibly then. Either way us passengers are once again inconvenienced by lack if rolling stock.

A chronic lack!

If that Kenilworth service is a dogbox I'm sure the locals will be delighted when it rolls in first day, full of passengers from Leamington or Coventry.
 

STKKK46

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Is this expected visit still planned to take place on that day, noting the two differing blame opinions that have recently been cited, which may cause "awkward" questions to be addressed to him for answer?

You wouldn’t have thought so, however he may have to go for exactly the same reason!
 

HLE

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A chronic lack!

If that Kenilworth service is a dogbox I'm sure the locals will be delighted when it rolls in first day, full of passengers from Leamington or Coventry.

I doubt it will be full.
 

STKKK46

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I doubt it will be full.

A 153 seats 75, does it not? The current 1tph is rammed on that particular corridor on almost every train so those seeking an alternative now have one. They may want to use it. If I ever do that journey between the 2, I certainly will use it, as having done it on a Voyager on a number of occasions, I won't be doing that again.

It may not be full, but I can imagine it could be a little cosy for all the hopeful newcomers to the railway from Kenilworth.
 

trains2064

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Knowing the number of people who travel between just Coventry and Leamington forgetting Kenilworth I think the is a good chance they will be very full at rush hour.
 

STKKK46

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Knowing the number of people who travel between just Coventry and Leamington forgetting Kenilworth I think the is a good chance they will be very full at rush hour.

My point exactly. Hopefully if it is a 153, it's not for long. I know they can't use a 170 but I'm sure I saw a 172 being mooted which would make things a lot more comfortable.
 

HLE

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Won’t be a 172 until the Nuneaton branch has one.

That line does need extra capacity at the peak times. ‘Sardine’ conditions is an accurate description. Even on the tube you have space to breathe at rush hour!

Fair point on the XC being full. Whether the passengers will appreciate a downgrade to a dogbox is another matter. What proportion travel onwards from Leamington or do they all get off?
 
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