Railways around Coventry

Hi all & thank you for that iconic picture of a one-time branch line. We still have our railways, basically just a mode of transport, but what the sentiment of that photo shows is our loss of railways as a way of life. The days when a railway station out in the sticks became its own community.

This appeared on FB this morning - “City of Coventry” at Birmingham New Street in 1963

One of the new Aventra Class 730 units out on test at Canley. The three car units (orange) are destined for the Cross City line. The Birmingham-Northampton-London service will be five car units (presumably in LNW livery).

Coventry railway station, whilst the 'old' new one was being built!

The "new" new station is just the "old" new station with a new car park. A worker at the station told me the station itself cannot be altered as it is a listed building. So where did the money go? Obviously the world's most expensive car park!

Any information on this beautiful thing?

It’s “Lion” The photo looks like Tyseley.

Not on the bus station. The original proposal was on a par with Pool Meadow!

Hi all, My experience of life often demonstrates what's going to happen, by what's not said. I did a people management course for Courtaulds at Warwick,1990/91, where the signs of such activity were lectured. Our current bus station in Pool Meadow is grossly underutilized, most Coventry buses using Hales Street, Trinity Street and Burges. It wouldn't surprise me to find that the Pool Meadow ceases to be a bus station as we know it, with the Coventry Central Six (Warwick Road) interchange becoming the on-paper replacement. This for me is no more than a guess, which I certainly would not put money on it. I've no prior or peep knowledge of this, it's just that so much doesn't stack up at present.

There are some major timetable changes from 11th December. Avanti (timetable) Two trains and hour. One non-stop from Coventry to London Euston. The second calls at Watford Junction, Milton Keynes & Rugby and then continues to Glasgow, Edinburgh or Blackpool. There is an additional "non-stop" to Euston at peak times. London North Western (timetable) Two trains an hour Birmingham New Street to London Euston. Non-Stop from New Street to International then all stations via Coventry & Northampton to Leighton Buzzard and fast to Euston. One is non-stop and the other stops at Watford Junction. There is a half hourly West Midlands service between International and New Street calling at all Stations. West Midlands Trains (timetable) Nuneaton - Coventry - Leamington Spa remains hourly, but the times have changed. Cross Country (timetable) Hourly Manchester - Birmingham - Coventry - Reading, with alternate trains extended to Bournemouth (no change).

The Office of Rail and Road has published the 2020-21 station usage estimates. These cover the period April 2021 to March 2022 which includes the (hopefully) final period of Covid restrictions, including two weeks of shops closed and ten weeks of indoor hospitality being closed. The final restrictions were not lifted until the end of January 2022. Nationally passenger journeys were up 155% on 2020-21 with its lengthy lockdowns, but still 43% down on the pre-pandemic 2019-20. The % change from pre-Covid 2019-20 is in brackets. Bedworth 38,414 (-64%) Bermuda Park 25,612 (-33%) Berkswell 162,348 (-52%) Birmingham International 2,411,308 (-63%) Birmingham New Street 22,682,586 (-51%) Canley 257,834 (-30%) Coventry 4,636,054 (-41%) Coventry Arena 68,134 (-44%) Hampton-in-Arden 93,660 (-49%) Kenilworth 78,960 (-63%) Leamington Spa 1,655,708 (-41%) London Euston 23,097,606 (-48%) Nuneaton 843,940 (-37%) Rugby 1,696,144 (-37%) Tile Hill 326,194 (-51%) Wolverhampton 3,453,320 (-33%) The biggest drops are Birmingham International with restrictions on international travel and large events; and Bedworth & Kenilworth who had bus replacement services for most of the period due to driver shortages. Off-peak travel at Coventry is only down 28%, while peak travel is down 33% and season ticket travel 73%. Perhaps it is time to abolish peak restrictions. While still 40% down, the figure for Coventry is the same as for 2008 which was considered good at the time. With multiple cancellations and rail strikes this year, it will probably be two years until we can really see what the "new normal" is. Peter.

70000 Britannia worked a steam special from Crewe to Bath today, calling at Coventry. With the ASLEF strike meaning that all other trains are cancelled, this is the first time since the 1960's that Coventry has had a 100% steam service!

Thanks, Peter. For the benefit of the forum, a friend took this photo a little later on as Britannia steamed through Heyford station in Oxfordshire.

Given diesel multiple units were introduced in the Coventry area in the late 1950s, I think we're going back a bit further. I loved travelling in DMUs because you could see where you were going if you sat in the seat behind the driver; as a trainspotter I hated them!

I'm pretty sure Stan & Ollie, here on their 1947 visit... ....are standing on Warwick Road in front of the old Incline Machine exit - © Warwickshire Railways.