Green Party co-leader encourages Kenilworth residents to use new railway station

Caroline Lucas MP was visiting the station, which opened on Monday April 30, to meet Kenilworth Green Party members and celebrate the station's opening with them.

She said: "It's fantastic to see the regeneration of the railways. We would far rather see investment go into railways than roads.

"While we're delighted that the station is here, we'd like to see a few more trains, although it's obviously early days. Hopefully the demand will build and that demand will be supplied.

"I would say to people in Kenilworth please come and use it. It's the most beautiful station, and the railways are a much more environmentally friendly way of getting around."

After her visit to Kenilworth Station, she headed to the University of Warwick. There she was expected to call on the university and Warwickshire County Council to campaign for a new railway station serving the university on the line before it reaches Coventry, and said railways should be prioritised over projects like improving the A46.

She added: “Tinkering around at the edges by doing things like moving car parks to the edge of campus is not enough.

"Now Kenilworth Station is open the university and council should be pushing for a University station on the same line.

"Instead the Council are spending £33 million making changes to the nearby A46 junction."

The station currently runs one train an hour in either direction between Leamington and Coventry, and has no Sunday services. It is operated by West Midlands Railway, a part of West Midlands Trains.

Francis Thomas, head of corporate affairs at West Midlands Trains, said the group was looking to start a two-carriage service connecting through to Nuneaton in December, but added this was 'subject to approvals.'