Extra trains heading for Ricoh Arena

THREE trains per hour could serve the Ricoh Arena on Saturdays once work on a new platform bay are complete at Coventry Station.

As part of the large scale railway masterplan, there will be a new platform bay on the card which will improve links between the city and Nuneaton.

Once the new bay is up and running, it will pave the way for more trains on the line.

According to Warwickshire County Council’s Warwickshire Draft Rail Strategy, this includes on Saturdays - crucial for shoppers and visitors to the Ricoh Arena.

“Three trains per hour will run on the Coventry - Nuneaton rail line on Saturdays to cater for Ricoh Arena passengers (once the new Coventry bay platform is completed).”

Train access to and from the Ricoh Arena has along been a bone of contention since the station was first opened in August 2015. But improvements will come as part of the £82.4m scheme at Coventry Station and rail passengers will see the much needed makeover for the ageing station completed by 2021. Coventry City

Council is providing around £30m and more money is being sought from other sources, including the West Midlands Combined Authority.

The scheme proposes building a second station entrance building facing Warwick Road and providing step free access to platforms.

There will also be five new shops, a second fully glazed footbridge connecting all four platforms and extended platform canopies, a 644-space multi-storey car park to the east of Warwick Road, and a bus interchange connected directly to the station building via a new access tunnel.