Worcester on the right track for growth after go-ahead for £22m train station

PLANNING permission has been granted for a new £22m railway station on the outskirts of Worcester.

Worcestershire County Council’s planning and regulatory committee has backed the scheme, which is officially designated the Worcestershire Parkway Regional Interchange Railway Station.

Groundwork for the new station, which will link the Cotswolds and Birmingham to Bristol lines, is scheduled to begin next spring and open to passengers in autumn 2017.

While the decision is good news for commuters in Worcester, sports fans and rail passengers in Coventry are not so happy (see below).

The new Worcestershire Parkway will be situated close to Junction 7 of the M5, near Norton.

The county council said the project had been identified as a key priority within the Worcestershire Strategic Economic Plan, which is aiming to create 25,000 new jobs in the county by 2025 along with boosting GVA (Gross Value Added) by almost £3bn.

The new station also has the backing of the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), the area’s MPs, Network Rail and train companies First Great Western and Arriva CrossCountry. Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce and local businesses have also given the scheme their blessing.

Feedback from a public consultation last year showed strong support for the scheme with 91% of people surveyed stating they were in favour of the plans, which aim to improve the county’s accessibility by rail, cut journey times to key locations including London and reduce road congestion.

The station is comprised of a single platform on the Worcester to London line and two platforms on the Birmingham to Bristol line, together with a new station building including a booking office, toilets and shop. It will also have 500 car parking spaces (including disabled provision), bus stops, a taxi rank and a passenger drop-off area.

Last year, the Worcestershire LEP provisionally allocated £7.5m from the Worcestershire Local Growth Deal towards a new station. The remainder of the funding is expected to come from the county council. The council’s contribution will be recouped through car park and station access charges levied on the train companies.

Cllr John Smith, Worcestershire County Council’s cabinet member for Highways, said: “The council recognises how important a reliable and robust transport infrastructure is to the local economy, which is why we are committed to continuing to invest in this key area through several major projects including Worcestershire Parkway.

“As well as reducing journey times and congestion, the station will improve rail accessibility and connectivity with the rest of the country. In turn this will attract inward investment and create new jobs.”
   
Gary Woodman, Executive Director of Worcestershire LEP, said: “We know the difference that improved rail connectivity will make to the county’s long term economy and therefore, we prioritised Worcestershire Parkway for funding through our Growth Deal.

“This decision is great news for businesses. It was recently announced that Worcestershire was the third fastest growing economy in England between 2008 and 2013 and improving our transport networks is vital to ensure future growth.

“Stronger rail connectivity will complement many other infrastructure and transport improvements taking place in the coming years, provide businesses with better links to and from London and other cities and is yet another reason for companies to locate in the county.

“We will now work to increase the awareness of the need for the redoubling of the Cotswold Line which alongside the new station would bring a number of benefits, for example faster journey times to London.”  

Meanwhile, a new railway station serving Coventry’s Ricoh Arena has come under fire even before it opens.

The arena, which is now owned by Wasps rugby club, is still the home venue for Coventry City football club.

However, train operators have said that owing to a shortage of rolling stock the service to the station will be limited to one hourly, single-carriage service, carrying just 75 people. Wasps has been attracting crowds in excess of 30,000 people.

London Midland is now trying to find a solution to the problem.