James Cunningham

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MP JIM ASKS WHY THE DELAY ON STATION?

JIM Cunningham is demanding answers on the future of a new railway station at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena.
The Coventry South MP today tabled Parliamentary Questions about the proposal, and is urging for a speedy conclusion to the matter.
Mr Cunningham said a new station at the Ricoh Arena would be a major boost to both Coventry and the West Midlands.
With the project first being mooted a number of years ago, he is now urging Coventry City Council to ‘pull out all the stops’ to ensure the station is built.
Mr Cunningham said: “A railway station at the Ricoh Arena is much-needed and would be a big boost to the city.
“Public transport links to the Ricoh are not what they should be and a railway station there would go a long way to making things better.
“The idea was first mentioned a long time ago and I remember taking a delegation to meet Ministers on the matter some three or four years ago.
“Every time I have mentioned the matter with Government Ministers they have told me the same thing. They are waiting on Coventry City Council to provide a business plan on the issue.
“It seems the ball is very much in the city council’s court, and I’m sure the people of Coventry, like me, want to see progress on the issue.
“Today I tabled a number of Parliamentary Questions on the issue and I’ll be interested in hearing what the Department for Transport has to say.
“In the meantime, I hope those responsible for the project at the city council will ensure the council funding for the scheme that was allocated some years ago remains in place.
“I also hope they do everything in their power to ensure we get a new station at the Ricoh Arena as soon as possible.”