Following an announcement by West Midlands Railway this week that no rail services would be stopping at Kenilworth Railway Station for the foreseeable future, we have taken a look back of the history of rail travel in the town.

Kenilworth Station finally reopened to the town on April 16 2018, following nearly 15 years of campaigning by local residents.

Kenilworth had been without passenger rail connections since the closure of the old station in January 1965, a closure which marked the end of a service that dated back to 1844.

First Beginnings

Designed by Robert Dockary, the first station at Kenilworth was opened in 1844, and was operated by the London and Birmingham Railway.

Development of the station had initially been opposed by the local residents, who held a meeting in protest of the building in January 1840 at the King's Arms Hotel. 160 signatures were made on a petition against the plans.

Opposition was not just to the idea of a station, but of course to the construction an entirely new line that would cut up large swathes of the local landscape – a theme that has re-emerged over a much bigger rail project in recent years.

However, the line between Coventry and Leamington and the station in Kenilworth were constructed, and the first passenger train stopped in the town on December 9 1844.

The line soon came under the control of the London and North Western Railway.

By 1881 infrastructure at Kenilworth had developed, with a coal yard being constructed and a goods depot functioning at the Leamington end of the station.

In 1884 the line became double-track as passenger numbers increased, and so the station had to be remodelled. This included the construction of the concrete footbridge in 1885, and the swapping over of the goods and coal yards.

Robin Leach records in his volume 'Rails to Kenilworth and Milverton' that the station remodelling was completed in 1883 by Philip Horseman and Company of Wolverhampton.

When the station building was rebuilt, the original was dismantled and reassembled in part on Station Road and opened at The Vaults Bar, behind The King's Arms & Castle.

End of the line

Kenilworth had enjoyed very consistent rail travel for over a century, with the greatest shakeups coming in terms of railway management rather than anything else.

The line came under the operation of the London Midland and Scottish Railway company as part of the 1923 railway groupings – the same year in fact that there was a small fire in the main building.

Management was then of course changed under the nationalisation of the railways in 1948.

Following this, as with so many other branch-line stations across the UK, the station in Kenilworth fell victim to Dr Beeching's report, and passenger service to Kenilworth was finally terminated on January 18 1965.

That being said, railway traffic did continue to operate through the town, as goods trains could frequently be seen passing through.

However, the cut-off line to Berkswell that had opened during the remodelling of the 1880's was closed in 1969. Much of the Coventry-Leamington line was then reduced to single track during 1972.

The line was to re-instigate passenger service in 1977. However, Kenilworth residents were not to benefit from this as local services were not considered.

The station building remained standing until the 1980's, when it was demolished.

The good's yard however was incorporated into the builder's merchants on the site. The merchant's building had existed since the 1920's, originally used as a garage, then a research facility, before becoming a merchants in 1975.

The merchants was knocked down in 2015 for the development of the new station.

And Now?

In January 2004 a group of Kenilworth residents began campaigning for a new station to be opened, first having a stall at the market in Talisman Square where they were bombarded with information.

In December 2006 the group, 'A Station for Kenilworth' (ASK), reported that they had 1,000 supporters.

The possibility of a station was included in the Local Plan, with the preferred site being on the A452 (the former station goods yard) due to its centrality to the town.

The local plan said "This site has been identified as it represents the most attractive location for rail users, travelling both to and from the town. It is centrally located, close to the town centre and has good accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists."

Momentum steadily grew for the project, and in 2011 outline planning permission for the development was granted.

In June 2013 the Transport Secretary visited Kenilworth and indicated that funding would be made available for the project, with Arriva trains seemingly interested.

Local residents were eventually given the choice for the new station's design, being able to chose from three options in 2014.

In October of the same year, a select number of residents and local officials travelled on the line from Leamington Spa to Coventry, pausing in Kenilworth at the site where the station was proposed.

Construction of the £13.6 million project began in 2016, and the new building now includes a ticket office, passenger waiting room, toilets and a retail unit.

The station's old footbridge was successfully refurbished during the site's redevelopment. A 500-tonne crane had to be used for this, as it was installed during an eight-hour overnight shift.

Delays to the original opening in August 2017 came due to complications with National Rail. The new opening date was then set for the December.

The December opening was postponed again until February as the Department for Transport were unable to guarantee rolling stock or staff until this point.

The first departure of the reopening actually came at 6.16am on the morning of April 30 2018, making the nine-minute journey to Coventry. The final delay came after Warwickshire County Council failed to submit necessary paperwork, halting the start of rail service once again.

The station is currently served by West Midlands Railway, contracted to operate an hourly service through the station. As of Monday January 18, however, WMR is operating only a rail replacement bus service, with no fixed date of a return for rail travel.

Kenilworth Railway Station is also served by a number of volunteers in the group 'Friends of Kenilworth Station,' which was started by Mayor of Kenilworth Cllr Richard Dickson after the station opened.

Amongst a variety of activities, the group organise regular working parties at the station, caring for the gardens and greenery to keep the station as attractive and presentable as possible.

Special thanks must go to Graham Hyde for his help with this article.