Coventry City fans cannot use Ricoh Arena rail station

An exact date has not been set for the opening of the new Ricoh Arena railway station but it will be in September, says Coventry City Council

Coventry City fans have expressed their disbelief at being told they cannot use the new railway station set to open at the Ricoh Arena next month.

Train operator London Midland said the hourly passenger service would have 75 seats - the stadium has 32,600.

Safety concerns mean the station must be closed for an hour after major events, London Midland said.

Coventry City Council said in future the station would meet demand from the stadium, also the home of Wasps rugby.

'£13m joke'

Football fans campaigned for a station at the arena as part of a £13.6m project to improve the Nuneaton to Coventry rail link.

Dave Kaczur, who has been a Sky Blues supporter for 53 years, said: "The fans aren't happy. It's just a joke - a £13m joke.

"To have a stadium that can hold 32,000 people and then say we can only bring 75 an hour, it's just a farce."

Andy Gibb, managing director of Arena Coventry Limited, said: "It's disappointing that we are not going to have the capacity to carry the numbers away on major event days."

Frances Thomas, for London Midland, said the service was always planned to start with a single-carriage diesel train. He explained no extra trains could be added as they are in short supply as manufacturers move towards electrification.

"We went to the safety advice group and we took their advice and they said keep the station closed for an hour after each game in order to manage the safety of those crowds."

City councillor Kevin Maton said the train also served the nearby houses and retail park and could also be used at smaller events at the Ricoh.

He said having the station in place would allow train operators to respond to the demand in the future.

There are other improvements due in 2017, which will allow two trains an hour and there are also plans to electrify the line.