NUCKLE Phase 1 - Coventry to Nuneaton Rail upgrade

Coventry to Nuneaton Rail Upgrade - Roadshow

We need your views on major improvements that are planned for the Coventry-Nuneaton rail corridor. ‘NUCKLE Phase 1’ is the upgrade of the existing rail line between Coventry and Nuneaton. It will help to improve accessibility and encourage increased use of the train for journeys that might otherwise be undertaken by car. The Coventry – Nuneaton Rail Upgrade scheme includes:

Two completely new stations – at Coventry Arena and Bermuda Park
More platforms at Coventry main station, to accommodate six-car trains
Longer platforms at Bedworth station to accommodate longer trains
Improvements to the train service, with frequency doubled to every thirty minutes
Passenger capacity raised to four times its current level
Equipment at the new Coventry Arena station to turn trains around for an events shuttle service.

We would welcome your views on the proposals before we submit planning applications for the new stations later this year - to Coventry City Council, for Coventry Arena and to Warwickshire County Council for Bermuda Park. The other proposals do not require planning consent.

A leaflet is attached below which provides more information about the proposals. A Freepost feedback form is also attached for your comments, which need to be returned to us by October 29.

If you would like to talk to us an exhibition bus is visiting various locations around the area over the next couple of weeks. The exhibition roadshow will be calling at:

Bedworth High Street (Friday 30 September from 8am to 6pm)
Bond Gate/Church Street, Nuneaton (Saturday 1 October from 9am to 6pm)
Bull Yard in Coventry (Friday 7 October from 8am to 6pm); and
Coventry Arena Shopping Park (Saturday 8 October 9am to 7pm).

NUCKLE roadshow leaflet (pdf, 1.8mb)

NUCKLE feedback form (pdf, 263kb)

Bid for funding

Warwickshire County Council, together with our promoting partners Coventry City Council and Centro, has submitted a £19.2 million bid to the Department for Transport for the upgrade of the existing new rail line between Coventry and Nuneaton.

A Best and Final Bid for the scheme was submitted to the Department for Transport on 9 September 2011. The bid document and supporting information are available to download.

Bid document and supporting information (external link)

The Department for Transport is running a consultation period from 9 September 2011 to 14 October 2011 for anyone who wishes to submit a relevant comment on the proposals. Comments can be submitted to: development.pool@dft.gsi.gov.uk

Once we have received outline funding approval for the Best and Final Bid we will continue to work with our partners to gather more detail required by the Department and aim for final approval in late 2011 or early 2012.

Benefits

The Coventry - Nuneaton rail upgrade scheme will improve public transport and help to address the socio-economic problems of the Coventry to Nuneaton corridor. It will also facilitate the strategic development and economic growth aspirations of the corridor. The principal objectives of the proposed scheme are to:

1. Support growth, competitiveness and economic development in the Coventry to Nuneaton corridor through improving connectivity, increasing capacity and reducing congestion. This will help to:

Reduce social exclusion.
Reduce deprivation.
Support regeneration and employment proposals around Bermuda Park and Coventry Arena.

2. Support the delivery of the substantial planned growth in housing along the corridor.

3. Achieve enhanced public transport in an environmentally sustainable manner, contributing to tackling climate change, through reducing the carbon impact of transport.

4. To support key regionally endorsed projects and developments, in particular:

The Friargate Masterplan (Coventry City Centre Business District providing up to 15,000 jobs).
Connecting Coventry rail station and public transport interchange enhancement.
The Ricoh Arena.
Warwick and Coventry Universities.
The Coventry, Warwickshire and Solihull High Technology Corridor.

5. Improve safety, security and health in the West Midlands and Warwickshire, through reducing accidents and improving security on the public transport network.

6. Make it easier for people to access to a wider range of jobs and services.

Route map

NUCKLE Phase 1 Route Map

NUCKLE Route Key

Bermuda Park Station

A key element of the Coventry - Nuneaton rail upgrade scheme within Warwickshire is the provision of a new station at Bermuda Park. The preferred site for Bermuda Park station is located on St. George’s Way, to the north of Griff roundabout. A plan showing the site location is shown below. The cost of constructing a station at this site is estimated to be £4.39m. Thirty on-street car park spaces are proposed along St.George’s Way within the Highway boundary. Around 109,000 trips per year are expected to use the station with a 2 trains per hour service.

Plan showing the site location of Bermuda Park Station