A NEW railway station in Kenilworth could be up and running in just thee years after the official signing of the deal to approve plans took place this week.
The old Kenilworth station closed in 1965 but the town’s population has since grown by 40 per cent, with commuters having to drive to Warwick, Coventry or Leamington to catch a train.
It is hoped the station will be completed in 2012 after the official agreement was signed by Councillor Peter Barnes, chairman of Warwickshire County Council and Andy Parson, head of rail at John Laing, who successfully tendered for the work.
The official signing has been welcomed by councillors who say it will not only boost tourism and the economy but give residents more travel options.
Councillor Alan Cockburn (Con, Kenilworth St John’s) and environment portfolio holder for Warwickshire County Council said: “I’m thrilled about it.
“This will give residents a choice and will be very popular with commuters.
“There are 15,000 people of working age but only 5,000 jobs in Kenilworth. That means 10,000
people commute and the roads are often grid-locked.
“The station will be so near the town centre, it will help regenerate the town.”
Councillor John Whitehouse (Lib Dem, Kenilworth Abbey) said: “There will be two major benefits for Kenilworth – it will link the town to the outside world and also bring people in. English Heritage are very pleased, as it will encourage more people to come in to see the castle and to come in for work, leisure and entertainment reasons.”
John Laing was chosen by Shire Hall earlier in the year from a shortlist of two. Warwickshire County Council awarded a 20-year contract to
the infrastructure specialists as part of a larger project to improve rail services on the Nuneaton-to-Leamington line.
Mr Parson said: “Hopefully the station will be completed by October 2012.
“We’re very pleased to be working with Warwickshire County Council. It builds on our previous success when we built Coleshill Parkway station in 2007.”
Campaign group A Station for Kenilworth (ASK) has been calling for plans to be get the go-ahead for the last five years.
Spokesman Graham Hyde said: “This is a really important move in getting the project through to com-pletion. Having it finished in 2012 is more optimistic than I was hoping, I was expecting 2013 but if it can be down in 2012 that sounds good to me.
“We’re particularly happy that the preferred site is in the middle of town. A lot of new stations that are being built are parkway stations on the outskirts of towns which people have to drive to, which seems pointless.
“Having a station in the middle is a fantastic opportunity for people to walk to it. A large percentage of
the town would be able to walk to the station in ten minutes.
“It gives people another option to commute and will also encourage people to come into Kenilworth in the evening and sample the nightlife and restaurants.”
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