Construction of platform at Coventry Railway Station delayed again
The Bay Platform was originally planned to open last year - but delays including Covid mean it isn't a priority until 2032
A bid to build a long-awaited new platform at Coventry Railway Station has been hit with another delay.
A report to the West Midlands Combined Authority’s (WMCA) Investment Board this week said work on the Bay Platform has been pushed back by three months from December 2031 to March 2032.
It is also no longer being considered as part of the wider Coventry Station Master Plan.
The Bay Platform was aimed at boosting services between Coventry and Nuneaton to tackle overcrowding and originally had a budget of £10 million with the aim of delivering it by 2025.
But a number of factors, including Covid, resulted in a number of delays and soaring costs with the revised completion date being pushed back to 2031 with a budget of £39.4 million.
The report to Investment Board on Monday, October 19, said: “On 7 April 2025 a report was submitted to the WMCA Investment Board confirming the project is seeking government funding to further develop the business case for the construction of the Bay Platform as part of the Midlands Connect scheme to deliver direct rail services between Coventry, Leicester and Nottingham, with a target completion date of December 2031.
“Following correspondence with Coventry City Council, a meeting was arranged to discuss progress in relation to the funding agreement and current delivery status, including the bay platform.
“Officers at Coventry City Council confirmed that a Change Request is being prepared proposing to de-scope the bay platform from the Coventry Station Master Plan as this will now be delivered through alternative funding and will be subject to a separate business case.
“An extension of three months from December 2031 to March 2032 is also proposed to align with the new funding source.
“The project is therefore off track as an element of the project is being de-scoped and a time extension will be requested through the submission of a Change Request.
“The Change Request will ask to formally separate the Bay Platform into a standalone project, and close down Coventry Station Master Plan as all other elements are complete.
“Coventry City Council stated the Change Request would be submitted at
the end of September 2026 for WMCA stakeholder review.
“The IP team have contacted the Project Sponsor at Coventry City Council for an update as Change Request is still outstanding.”