This is the current main hall at Coventry station

Coventry (Coventry)

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At a Glance

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Step Free
In the current main hall looking towards the trains In the current main hall looking towards the trains
There is also a step-free alternative for accessing platforms 2 -4 There is also a step-free alternative for accessing platforms 2 -4
You don't have to use the footbridge to access platforms 2 - 4 You don't have to use the footbridge to access platforms 2 - 4
Looking along platform 1, with its roof which dates to the 1962 reconstruction Looking along platform 1, with its roof which dates to the 1962 reconstruction
The main entrance at Coventry station is destined to be replaced The main entrance at Coventry station is destined to be replaced
The waiting rooms on the platforms have been beautifully preserved The waiting rooms on the platforms have been beautifully preserved

The current Coventry station dates to 1962 and its design has stood the test of time, as it remains a highly functional location in which to arrive and depart by train.

Despite that, it is has been decided that a larger station building is required to cope with the volume of passengers who now use the station, so work has commenced on replacing the main station building, as well as providing an improved interchange with local bus services.

Hopefully some of the original features of the 1960s rebuild will be retained, as the station is a remarkably preserved icon of Modernist architecture.
A collection of stations were rebuilt in the 1960s when Britain’s premier railway line – the West Coast route was modernised and Coventry is the best of these.

ShowMeTheJourney is particularly fond of the station’s staircases and footbridge, which link platforms (tracks) 2-4 with the station’s entrance/exit hall.

To and from the trains:

A comparatively recent innovation, which will be welcomed by many travellers, is that a step-free alternative to the staircases is now available when taking trains which arrive at and depart from platforms (tracks) 2 - 4.
Coventry station was built with a second bridge which spans the station and this bridge is now connected to each of the platforms by elevators.

When arriving by train at platforms 2 – 4, the bridge which is accessed by stairs, is towards the front of trains which are heading north from London, Oxford and Reading.
So you may have to walk passed the staircases in order to access the elevators.

If your train will be departing from platforms 2 – 4 and you require step-free access, the route to the elevator from the main station hall is to go straight ahead on to platform 1 and then turn to the left once you’re on the platform.
The elevator is out of sight, as its lobby area is set back from the platform, tucked in behind the WH Smith stationary store.

Platform (track) 1 is located beside the main station building, so you don’t to use either of the station’s bridges to access the trains which use it – these include all of the Avanti West Coast trains to London.

To the city centre and cathedral:

Coventry station is located to the south of the city centre, but there is a clear pedestrian route to follow into the central area, which can be reached in 8 – 12 mins.
A tree lined pathway has been created between the station and Warwick Row – which is the name of a pathway that leads towards the main shopping area.

Coventry Cathedral is a 12 – 20 minute walk from the station, head to Broadgate the main square in the heart of the shopping area and then turn right on to Pepper Lane.
Alternatively there are multiple bus routes including the 1, 11, 12x and U12 which depart from stops by the station exit, that call at the nearest bus stop to the cathedral, which also happens to be the stop at The Herbert Gallery.

The Coventry Transport Museum is located on the opposite side of the city centre to the rail station, so walking there will take around 20 – 25 mins, or you can take bus route 9A to its stop on Wells Street, which is under a 5 minute walk from the museum.

Train service summary:

Train Operating Company:

Destinations and routes:

Avanti West Coast

(1) London via Milton Keynes – the fastest trains between Coventry and London
(2) Edinburgh or Glasgow via Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Crewe, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme Lake District, Penrith North Lakes and Carlisle

London NorthWestern

(1) London via Northampton
(2) Liverpool via Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Crewe

CrossCountry

(1) Manchester via Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Stoke-on-Trent
(2) Bournemouth via Leamington Spa, Oxford, Reading, Winchester and Southampton

West Midlands Railway

(1) Leamington Spa
(2) Nuneaton (connect for Leicester, Cambridge and Stansted Airport)

If you book tickets just before boarding trains to Birmingham and Wolverhampton, you can then board any train - including the faster Avanti West Coat services.

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This is one of more than 100 train travel guides available on ShowMeTheJourney, which will make it easier to take the train journeys you want or need to make. As always, all images were captured on trips taken by ShowMeTheJourney.