Friday 4 May 2007
BROMSGROVE TO GET NEW STATION
- Region & Route:
Bromsgrove is set to gain a brand new station, Network Rail announced today. The recommendation to construct a new station comes from a feasibility study which looked at options to deal with the huge growth in passenger numbers travelling from Bromsgrove.
Network Rail Route Director Peter Strachan said: "Over 430,000 passengers travelled from Bromsgrove last year, a 400% increase since 1995. With passenger numbers continuing to increase, Network Rail is committed to growing the railway to meet this demand. A new station will have multiple benefits for passengers: better facilities, more car parking and longer platforms to allow more trains to call at Bromsgrove." Network Rail will now work with its partners to take forward these plans. Subject to the necessary funding being secured, the station could be open by December 2008. Cllr Derek Prodger MBE, Worcestershire County Council's Cabinet Member for Environmental Services said: "This is tremendous news for Bromsgrove. It will enhance the facilities to the benefit of existing passengers and the additional passengers we hope the brand new station will attract." Central Train's Managing Director, Steve Banaghan added: "This is very good news for our customers and the railway; Bromsgrove station, as currently configured, is a considerable constraint on the operation of train services from Hereford and Worcester. The new station is the right answer as it provides the opportunity to 'future-proof' both the station and the infrastructure, to maximise the benefit to both freight and passenger services".
Notes to editors
The feasibility study, funded by Worcestershire County Council and undertaken by Network Rail looked at all the options for dealing with increased passenger demand at Bromsgrove including redeveloping the existing station and building a new station at a different location It concluded a re-located station delivers the most benefits for passengers. A new station will allow 6 car trains to stop at the station delivering increased capacity as well as allowing good quality facilities to be developed for passengers. It would enable a huge increase in car parking spaces The proposed site of the new station is a brown field site adjacent to the existing station. The location of the platforms away from the main lines will also increase operational flexibility and increase capacity on the route It is anticipated the new station will cost in the region of £10-12m. The next stage of the feasibility study will establish a business case for the project with a view to securing the necessary funding
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