Coventry City Council member Kevin Maton has hit back at claims that that the Coventry Arena train station which is supposed to serve the Ricoh Arena is a waste a money.
London Midland have confirmed what many already suspected that there would be no change in the size of the trains or the frequency that the company currently operate on the Coventry to Nuneaton line on match days.
Speaking to the Coventry Telegraph's Simon Gilbert, Cllr Maton said: “If we hadn’t built the train station there would never be a service.
“It’s a chicken and egg situation. Having a station there allows the train operators to respond to that demand at some point.
“It is ridiculous that it has taken this long for a rail system to arrive for that route.
“This all comes down to franchising. They are taking the word ‘service’ out of the rail industry.
“The route was about being able to move people into the city centre and for people to access the shopping facilities at the Ricoh Arena. From our point of view, it works perfectly well for that.”
He was asked about the 'initial plans which clearly stated the new Coventry Arena station was built with Ricoh Arena matchdays and events in mind and “I’m confident, in a period of time I can’t specify, there will be a solution. There’s a willingness between the parties involved to find a solution.
“We have to be a facilitator and allow negotiations that are necessary to happen.”
http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/ricoh-arena-rail-station-not-9923066