Coventry station platform delayed again as concerns grow over arena rail links
Transport officers say delivering the platform remains a key focus
Last updated 24th Oct 2026
Coventry transport chiefs have addressed delays to the new platform planned at Coventry Train Station, which is linked to planned work at the Coventry Arena stop next to Sky Blues’ ground.
The extension of the Coventry Arena platform next to CBS Arena, which is the home of Coventry City football team, is dependent on plans for a new bay platform at the main city centre station.
But Cllr Ed Ruane (Lab, Henley) is concerned the arena project may have been shelved following news that the long-awaited new platform at the main Coventry Train Station had been delayed once again.
The so-called NUCKLE package of rail projects to enhance services between Nuneaton, Coventry, Kenilworth, and Leamington Spa was originally set to include new stations at Bermuda Park and Coventry Arena, a platform extension at Bedworth, and a new bay platform at Coventry, with a second phase to build a new station at Kenilworth on the line to Leamington.
While the Coventry Arena and Bermuda Park stations did open, there have been delays with the building of the bay platform at Coventry and other associated work to accommodate longer, more frequent trains, plus a crossover at the Arena to enable special event shuttle services.
Expanding the rail services at Coventry Arena relies heavily on the delivery of the new bay platform at Coventry Railway Station – which has now been delayed again.
A report to the West Midlands Combined Authority’s (WMCA) investment board this week said work at the main station had 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 at the central station 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 delays and soaring costs with the revised completion date being pushed back to 2031 with a budget of £39.4 million.
Speaking at the Business, Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board, Cllr Ruane asked city council transport officers for an update on whether the extension at the Coventry Arena train stop next to the stadium was a “dead duck” or was still going to happen.
“It strikes me, and I do mean it seriously as a Coventry city councillor, that Birmingham is able to get three brand new stations and we are struggling just to extend platforms on our existing stations. There is a real disconnect there,” he said.
He said the issue was critical because Sky Blues were now a Premier League club and transport was a key issue for getting to matches at the stadium, which is served by just one train an hour running on the line between Nuneaton and Leamington, via stops at Bedworth, Bermuda Park and Coventry Arena.
Cllr Stephen Gray, chair of the scrutiny board, says residents in his Holbrooks ward were those most affected by the travel issues. He said: “I definitely echo this because my residents are the ones who suffer from people driving up to the CBS Arena and trying to park round there.”
John Seddon, head of transport and innovation at Coventry City Council, responded that there was “scope for a lot of improvement” on access to the stadium and council officers had just met with arena representatives, rail industry and bus operatives.
Some improvements had been made to bus services, including connecting buses to Coventry Train Station so people could travel to the venue via public transport. This had proved successful, he said, and “a lot of work” was also underway on improving the rail infrastructure.
He confirmed the date for the new main station bay platform had changed from December 2031 to March 2032, adding: “That is nothing to do with the specific ability to deliver that platform, that is basically aligning with financial years.”
Cllr Ruane said: “That was a fundamental part of the redevelopment or improvement of Coventry Train Station, the bay platform, and what we have ended up with is a car park and the refurbished Coventry station. The very thing that we were really wanting was the extension of the bay platform and that’s now not in the masterplan.”
Mr Seddon said: “I don’t think it was the single thing we were wanting because there were significant capacity issues at Coventry station before, in terms of passenger experience, and the passenger numbers are not far off getting back to pre-Covid levels. So the need for extra passenger capacity has delivered and was probably the more essential part of the station package.
“Station car park is obviously part of the wider parking provision and is extremely well used. We will still be working hard to get a platform delivered in the next funding period, which is extended to March 2032 and that is a key focus for our team.”