When direct trains from Nuneaton and Leamington start

A new direct train from Nuneaton and Bedworth to Leamington is 'excellent' news for commuters and residents alike.

On Monday (May 20) the new service gets on track, which will see a two carriage train running once an hour to Leamington via Kenilworth instead of the current one carriage from the borough's stations to Coventry.

It means that not only do people have an easier link to Leamington but will also ease notorious overcrowding issues on trains from Nuneaton and Bedworth to Coventry’s station.

Councillor Jeff Clarke, cabinet member for transport and planning at Warwickshire County Council, admitted that the new service had been a long time coming - but the benefits will outweigh the wait.

"This is excellent news for everyone," he said.

"This hourly service has been a long time coming, however, we wanted better links to Coventry and Leamington and we have finally been able to achieve this aspiration.

"It is absolutely fantastic and I am sure that rail commuters will benefit from the opportunities that will come as a result of this."

He paid tribute to Nuneaton's MP Marcus Jones for putting pressure on the rail network to deliver the first phase of the Nuneaton - Coventry- Kenilworth – Leamington, known as (NUCKLE) project.

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NUCKLE does have a second phase, this relies heavily on the £82million expansion plans at Coventry Railway Station.

As part of the plans, which are due to start in 2020, there will be a new bay platform which will pave the way for two trains per hour between Nuneaton and Coventry.

"The second phase will come as part of the Coventry Railway Station expansion, I know that is in the process of moving forward," he said.

The new two carriage train service comes on track after the plans were de-railed last year.

Originally, it was hoped to have the extra carriage service from the town's station through to Coventry in December.

But the plug had to be pulled because timetable changes in May caused chaos on the lines across the country, leading to long delays and cancellations for thousands of passengers.

The Rail Delivery Group said that in some areas of the country, including the borough, a ‘more cautious’ approach had to be taken with some planned improvements being introduced more gradually.

So the date was moved from December to May 20.