Kenilworth railway station

[TSR :D]

I have tried researching for more information about this station, not much is gained from this.

So, I have some questions you guys may know...

How long will it take for construction to be completed when it begins in August 2014 if the funding has approved?

Will XC trains stop at this station? As far as I know, there will be London Midland shuttle service serving this station hourly to half-hourly between Coventry and Leamington Spa. Is this station covered by centro area?


Thanks,

 

[YorkshireBear]

I do not believe that XC will stop at the station and it will indeed by a LM shuttle. But who knows what electrification will bring!

 

[Cherry_Picker]

The station would be in Warwickshire, it's not covered by the Centro area. The Centro area is the metropolitan county of the West Midlands and Kenilworth is (literally) the first town outside of the border.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Has anyone local to the area any updated news on this matter, please.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

The DfT said they would pay about half the bill (£5m of a projected £11m) if the station gets built. That's all I've heard since this thread was last active.

Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/kenilworth-new-station

 

[The Planner]

Dft want it operational by Dec 16 and preferably wired. Still not decided how it will be served, either as an electric New St service meaning Northampton loses one of theirs or as a diesel shuttle to Kenilworth or a Coventry Leamington shuttle which arguably LM doesn't have the unit for. The latter is fairly unlikely due to the new crossover and signalling needed at Leamington and Kenilworth is far from funded for that.

 

[Tobbes]

Is the formation double tracked from Coventry - Leamington Spa? I lived in Kenilworth briefly and thought that it wasn't.

Tobbes

 

[Cherry_Picker]

It's double tracked for a few hundred yards at either end of the line and their is a fairly long passing loop in the middle at Kenilworth but other than that it is a single line.

Dft want it operational by Dec 16 and preferably wired. Still not decided how it will be served, either as an electric New St service meaning Northampton loses one of theirs or as a diesel shuttle to Kenilworth or a Coventry Leamington shuttle which arguably LM doesn't have the unit for. The latter is fairly unlikely due to the new crossover and signalling needed at Leamington and Kenilworth is far from funded for that.

What crossover/resignalling would they want to put in? I presume it is access to/from the single line from the north facing bays at Leamington?

Why would a shuttle need extra signalling compared to one coming in from New Street though? Again, I presume the train in from New Street would just shunt out the south end of Leamington and cross over outside the station. Why couldn't a shuttle do that?

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

An XC call would solve the rolling stock problem in the short term (although you might need longer platforms).
But it would also reduce capacity on the line.
I don't see how this can realistically be separated from the electric spine project, redoubling/wiring etc.

 

[The Planner]

What crossover/resignalling would they want to put in? I presume it is access to/from the single line from the north facing bays at Leamington?

Why would a shuttle need extra signalling compared to one coming in from New Street though? Again, I presume the train in from New Street would just shunt out the south end of Leamington and cross over outside the station. Why couldn't a shuttle do that?

Any shuttle would use P4 at Leamington for a layover, you wouldn't be able to path a termination in 3 and shunt to 2 most of the day. There is no access towards Coventry from that bay so it would need a crossover somewhere between the station and Milverton. You'll also need a junction indicator at the signal at the end of P4 which means hacking into the interlocking no doubt.

XC have no interest in calling at Kenilworth. Electric Spine is not a project yet, it is a concept, nothing is funded and no plans are even laid down for what is going to happen.

 

[davetheguard]

Is the formation double tracked from Coventry - Leamington Spa? I lived in Kenilworth briefly and thought that it wasn't.

Tobbes

I believe the railway formation south of Kenilworth to Leamington Spa was built wide enough to accomodate two tracks. So, presumably this section could be doubled throughout.

However, north of Kenilworth the line split, there were two single track routes: one to Coventry (still open); one to Berkswell, which is between Coventry & Birmingham International (which is closed & lifted). So, I don't there's any chance of any further re-doubling north of Kenilworth.

 

[HowardGWR]

I believe the railway formation south of Kenilworth to Leamington Spa was built wide enough to accomodate two tracks. So, presumably this section could be doubled throughout.

However, north of Kenilworth the line split, there were two single track routes: one to Coventry (still open); one to Berkswell, which is between Coventry & Birmingham International (which is closed & lifted). So, I don't there's any chance of any further re-doubling north of Kenilworth.

It appears that most of the line north of the split, to Coventry, is already double. I don't see any major impediments to total doubling (from a birds eye view anyway). I think we discussed this previously. The single bit needs a replacement bridge or so. The HS2 crosses here, by the way.

 

[The Planner]

The A46 bridge will need another deck added to the side of it.

 

[HowardGWR]

The A46 bridge will need another deck added to the side of it.

Ah, to the south, problems too. A nice piece of post Beeching future proofing there I see (not).

 

[paulb1973]

The A46 bridge will need another deck added to the side of it.

That's the awkward and costly bit - that A46 bridge carries only a single track. The line is double-track from Coventry station as far as Gibbet Hill Junction (on the outskirts of the city) then it becomes single track but with a long passing loop at Kenilworth. Heading further south it's single again as far as Milverton Junction near Leamington Spa. I live locally (in Coventry) but have rather lost track of what is happening with these plans.

I don't suppose we will ever see the Coventry - Nuneaton Class 153 shuttle being extended southwards to Kenilworth & Leamington Spa due to capacity constraints alone. There appear to be serious plans for a new bay platform at Coventry, but only at the 'Nuneaton end' of the station for trains from that direction (as well as potentially, passengers to/from new stations on the line; Ricoh Arena, Bermuda Park etc.). Trains would not be able to access Kenilworth/Leamington at all should that plan come to fruition.

 

[Amy Worrall]

I imagine my dream of a Leamington to Leicester service via Coventry and Nuneaton will remain but a dream

 

[BlythPower]

For info: The double tracking was extended southwards from Coventry and nothwards from Leamington a few years ago (not sure exactly when). The section north from Kenilworth Junction would need the cutting widening for double track as that's only ever been single.

 

[TheWalrus]

Why can't they just stop an hourly XC there? Surely the DfT could specify this in the franchise spec? It would make more sense than having an extra shuttle utilising an extra unit and crew just for one station surely.

 

[The Planner]

It would need the Dft to force it and I don't see why they should as it isn't in their best interests, XC is not a local operator.

 

[Bill EWS]

The line was double track from Leamington Spa to Berkswell and single from Kenilworth Jct to Gibbet Hill. When I first worked over that routein the mid 60's we went north via the branch to Berkswell anfd didn't touch Coventry, in either direction. We only went via Coventry once the Berkswell branch closed.

 

[YorkshireBear]

Cross Country are already struggling we don't need them picking up local traffic too.

 

[HowardGWR]

Cross Country are already struggling we don't need them picking up local traffic too.

I agree, it seems XC is often somehow trying to do two jobs at once. There should be two brands XC (calls at 'farmyards') and ICE (calls at cities, important economic centres and airports).

 

[TheWalrus]

Surely it makes more sense just for one stop maybe until electrification is complete then extend a Birmingham-Coventry stopper to Leamington? That might make more sense in the long run, giving Leamington an extra service to New Street.

 

[The Planner]

There are no Coventry terminators outside the peaks, they all go to Northampton now and unless LM get compensated then they won't want to lose one of those.

 

[Eagle]

Cross Country are already struggling we don't need them picking up local traffic too.

But XC are already picking up the local traffic on the Leamington to Coventry route, being the only operator on the line. Then again, adding a Kenilworth stop can only make it worse.

 

[bnsf734]

I imagine my dream of a Leamington to Leicester service via Coventry and Nuneaton will remain but a dream

There is also the problem of getting the train across the WCML at Nuneaton. This is not straightforward any more as they are unable/unwilling to put a service crossing the WCML on the flat, and using the new north chord is not possible unless it was resignalled to allow 2 way working. A reversal at Abbey Junction is also difficult at present.

 

[tractakid]

But XC are already picking up the local traffic on the Leamington to Coventry route, being the only operator on the line. Then again, adding a Kenilworth stop can only make it worse.

Indeed, this is the only occasion I have ever used XC!

XC stop at several small stations which only they serve, like Manea. These stations tend to get a poor service, so I can't imagine Kenilworth getting a frequent service from XC (though a token twice daily service might be nice, in addition to LM).

What stations like Manea could do with is the local operator that passes through the station stopping their trains there...

Oh wait. It's December soon!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

What stations like Manea could do with is the local operator that passes through the station stopping their trains there...

Oh wait. It's December soon!

Does anyone envisage that the new GA services will lead to a great increase from the annual 3,000 figure who come and go from Manea at the last count ?

 

[joeykins82]

A more likely option than XC stopping could be for Chiltern to extend their Bicester North service to Coventry. It's 1tp2h since the other one runs through to Stratford on Avon.

 

[Eagle]

A more likely option than XC stopping could be for Chiltern to extend their Bicester North service to Coventry.

There won't be a Bicester North terminator once the line to Oxford has opened.