THE RM understands that the independently operated booking office at Kenilworth station will close on September 24. The operator is quitting because of the combination of poor reliability of the service between Nuneaton and Leamington Spa and a downturn in passenger numbers that both predates and has continued with the Covid-19 pandemic. The haemorrhaging of passengers has made the ticket office function unviable.
Since the reopening of the station in April 2018 at a cost of £13.2m up to May 31 this year, 47% of service interruptions have been attributable to the train operator. Further analysis reveals that half of these interruptions were a result of train crew issues. When trains have not run – currently during the pandemic there is two-hourly train service – a rail replacement bus service has operated and the costs of this are believed to have exceeded £500,000.