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Worcestershire Parkway railway station: Difference between revisions

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Coordinates: 52°09′20″N 2°09′39″W / 52.1556°N 2.1609°W / 52.1556; -2.1609
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'''Worcestershire Parkway''' is a new railway station opening at a rural location where the [[Cotswold Line|Cotswold]] and [[Cross Country Route|Cross Country]] lines cross near [[Norton, Worcestershire|Norton]], [[Worcester]], England.<ref>[http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/strategyfinance/strategy/greatwesternmainlinerouteuti3510 DFT] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006191929/http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/strategyfinance/strategy/greatwesternmainlinerouteuti3510 |date=6 October 2008 }}</ref> The station is expected to open to the public on 23 February 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/18230449.opening-date-worcestershire-parkway-finally-revealed/|title=Opening date for Worcestershire Parkway finally revealed|website=Worcester News|language=en|access-date=2020-02-12}}</ref>
'''Worcestershire Parkway''' is a railway station where the [[Cotswold line|Cotswold]] and [[Cross Country Route|Cross Country]] lines cross near [[Norton, Worcestershire|Norton]], [[Worcester]], England.<ref>[http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/strategyfinance/strategy/greatwesternmainlinerouteuti3510 DFT] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006191929/http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/strategyfinance/strategy/greatwesternmainlinerouteuti3510 |date=6 October 2008 }}</ref> It opened on 23 February 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/18230449.opening-date-worcestershire-parkway-finally-revealed/|title=Opening date for Worcestershire Parkway finally revealed|website=Worcester News|language=en|access-date=2020-02-12}}</ref>


== Purpose ==
== Purpose ==

Revision as of 02:20, 23 February 2020

Not to be confused with Worcester Park railway station.

Worcestershire Parkway
General information
LocationWychavon
Coordinates52°09′20″N 2°09′39″W / 52.1556°N 2.1609°W / 52.1556; -2.1609
Platforms3
Other information
Station codeWOP
Key dates
23 February 2020Opened

Worcestershire Parkway is a railway station where the Cotswold and Cross Country lines cross near Norton, Worcester, England.[1] It opened on 23 February 2020.[2]

Purpose

The main cross country rail link from Birmingham to Cardiff, Bristol, and the South West, passes near to Worcester, but does not stop. Trains traveling north from Worcester have been suburban commuter trains into Birmingham, and those heading south have been slow regional trains to Bristol. Hence, Worcestershire County Council has been keen to obtain a station near Worcester for many years. The station is positioned at the crossing of the line from Worcester to Oxford and London with that from Birmingham to Bristol, close to Junction 7 on the M5, allowing Worcestershire residents to use the station as a 500-car park and ride to major cities, as well as into Worcester's Foregate Street and Shrub Hill stations, relieving traffic and parking problems in Worcester itself.

Funding

Worcestershire County Council set aside £3 million for park and ride facilities at the station in 2007,[3][4] while in June 2008 it was announced that the station was unlikely to be built for many years.[5] Following this, in October 2008 an e-petition was set up on the No 10 website calling for a Worcestershire Parkway.

The Third Worcestershire Local Transport Plan (LTP3) cites Worcestershire Parkway Regional Interchange as the top transport priority for Worcestershire.[6] It is also listed in the West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy as a Sub Regional Priority, and features in Policy T6 - Strategic Park and Ride. Worcestershire County Council is currently coordinating the development of the business case. An outline business case was developed by Laing Rail in March 2006, which concluded in favour of the development of Worcestershire Parkway Regional Interchange.[7] The revised business case was submitted to the Department for Transport's Rail Office, who gave their formal support to the project in 2012.[8]

In February 2013, Worcestershire County Council submitted a bid to the Network Rail managed New Stations Fund for £7 million to fund the first phase of development of Worcestershire Parkway.[9] This application was turned down in July 2013.[10]

In July 2014 the station was given funding as part of a government infrastructure fund distributed to local enterprise partnerships.[11] The leader of Worcestershire County Council has said that he hoped the project would be completed by 2017.[12]

Progress

CrossCountry Plymouth-Edinburgh and GWR London services passing the proposed station site in 2017

Artist impressions were released in February 2015 and the council said that a planning application had been submitted, with a decision due to have been made during the summer of 2015. The plan was for work to commence by the spring of 2016 and the station was on track to open in summer 2017, the county council said.[13]

In February 2015, Worcestershire County Council advertised for contractors for the construction of the railway station to include platforms, station building, passenger footbridge and lifts with a commencement date of late September 2015 with completion in May 2017.[14] On 25 August 2015 planning permission was granted, with work expected to start in 2016. The cost of the scheme was estimated at £22m.[15][16]

A potential legal battle between Worcester County Council and Norton Parkway Developments, who currently own the land, started in 2016. Norton Parkway Developments refused to hand over the land to the council as they feel that they were in a position to complete the development themselves.[17]

In January 2017, WCC's plans for Worcestershire Parkway were approved by the DfT.[18] In February 2017, clearance work on the site began, and Worcestershire County Council appointed Buckingham Group Contracting as the developer as part of a design and build deal.[19][20] Construction work finally began in early 2018, with a planned opening date in 2019.[21] In November 2019, it was announced that the station would open on 15 December 2019.[22] This was later pushed back to an unspecified time "early in the New Year."[23] In January 2020, it was announced that the station would be further delayed but opening was expected 'well before' the May timetable change.[24]

Construction Phases

Construction of Worcestershire Parkway in July 2018

Phase 1 involves building a platform on the Cotswold Line, a station building, interchange facilities, a 300 space car park, road access and infrastructure for phase 2 construction. The station will then be served by Worcester - Oxford/London services. The aim is also to run trains to get to London in 2 hours or less.[25]

Phase 2 involves building two new platforms on the Birmingham - Bristol Main Line and on top of that an additional 200 car parking spaces. The station will then be served by all Nottingham - Cardiff services.[25] Phase 2 will provide a new footbridge on the Birmingham - Bristol main line to replace an existing footpath crossing.[25]

Phase 3 will involve getting additional CrossCountry trains to call at the station.[25]

Concerns

Concerns were raised that the construction of Worcestershire Parkway would lead to reduced services at Worcester Foregate Street. However, this was rejected in 2014 by the deputy leader of Worcestershire County Council, Councillor Simon Geraghty, who said, "There has been no risk identified by Network Rail to existing railway stations."[26]

Services

Preceding station Future services Following station
Cheltenham Spa   CrossCountry
Cardiff – Nottingham 		  University
Ashchurch for Tewkesbury
limited service 		   
Worcester Shrub Hill   Great Western Railway
Hereford – London Paddington 		  Pershore or Evesham

See also

References

  1. ^ DFT Archived 6 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ "Opening date for Worcestershire Parkway finally revealed". Worcester News. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  3. ^ "New rail station 'could just be a white elephant' (From Worcester News)". Worcesternews.co.uk. 11 January 2007. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
  4. ^ NWM Plans
  5. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Plans for two decades of change in city (From Worcester News)". Worcesternews.co.uk. 7 June 2008. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
  6. ^ http://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/LTP3
  7. ^ "Worcestershire Parkway Regional Interchange (From Worcestershire County Council)". worcestershire.gov.uk. 19 December 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  8. ^ "Worcestershire Parkway plans progress (From BBC News)". news.bbc.co.uk. 1 August 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  9. ^ "£7m bid for new Worcestershire Parkway railway station (from BBC News)". news.bbc.co.uk. 19 February 2013. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
  10. ^ "Plan for new Worcester train station refused". www.worcesternews.co.uk. 8 July 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  11. ^ "Worcestershire Growth Deal". Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  12. ^ "Worcestershire Parkway railway station wins funding". BBC News Online. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  13. ^ Edwards, Tom (11 July 2014). "Worcestershire Parkway rail station plans submitted". BBC News. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  14. ^ "Tender Advertisement"
  15. ^ "UK's Worcestershire Parkway regional interchange station gets planning permission - Railway Technology". Railway Technology. 27 August 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  16. ^ "BBC News"
  17. ^ [1]
  18. ^ [2]
  19. ^ "PICTURES: Lift off! Clearance work underway for Worcestershire Parkway". Worcester News. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  20. ^ "Contractor chosen for new railway station in Worcestershire". 21 February 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  21. ^ Preece, Stephen. "Worcestershire Parkway Rail Station". www.worcestershire.gov.uk. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  22. ^ "Worcester Parkway on track for December opening".
  23. ^ "Worcestershire Parkway | Great Western Railway". www.gwr.com. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  24. ^ Barnett, Christian (31 January 2020). "Trains will be calling at Worcestershire Parkway as soon as it opens, council promises". Malvern Gazette. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  25. ^ a b c d "Worcestershire Parkway Station Worcestershire Local Transport Body Funding Application" (PDF). Worcestershire County Council. May 2013. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  26. ^ Edwards, Tom (14 November 2014). "£17m Worcestershire Parkway will not wreck services at Foregate Street, insists county council". Western Telegraph. Retrieved 29 August 2015.

Media related to Worcestershire Parkway railway station at Wikimedia Commons

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