Train station expected to be given the green light on Monday

Although it has not been revealed exactly what the visit by Patrick Mcloughlin, secretary of state for transport is regarding, it is expected that he will announce the town has been successful in its £5million bid for funding for a new station.

News on the bid, which means make or break for the return of the train station in Priory Road, has been eagerly awaited for months.

It was looking like bad news when the government announced that half of the £20million funding pot had already been allocated, with Kenilworth not named as a high priority case.

But things are looking set for a turnaround after intervention by MP, Jeremy Wright who has been working with council officers and the Department for Transport to get Kenilworth’s bid back on track.

The town’s railway line was closed to passengers in 1965 as part of country-wide railway reorganisation, and Warwickshire County Council has been working to restore the station and line between Leamington and Coventry for around a decade.

The new station has planning permission, and train operators are on board to provide a service -so securing funds is all that stands in the way of the new station.

A Warwickshire County Council spokesman confirmed that they had met with the DfT to discuss the bid in more detail and that they remain “optimistic” that the bid presents a strong case.