Worcestershire Parkway
National Rail
The Cross Country Route platforms at Worcestershire Parkway
General information
LocationNorton, Wychavon
England
Coordinates52°09′20″N 2°09′39″W / 52.1556°N 2.1609°W / 52.1556; -2.1609
Grid referenceSO890508
Managed byGreat Western Railway
Platforms3
Other information
Station codeWOP
Key dates
23 February 2020Opened
Passengers
2019/20  25,478
 Interchange  63,915
2020/21Increase 32,350
 Interchange Decrease 13,594
2021/22Increase 0.315 million
 Interchange Increase 49,132
2022/23Increase 0.335 million
 Interchange Increase 85,405
Location
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road[1]

Worcestershire Parkway is a split-level railway station where the Cotswold and Cross Country lines cross near Norton, Worcester, England.[2] It opened on 23 February 2020.[3][4]

Purpose

The Cross Country Route from Birmingham to Cardiff, Bristol and the South West passes close to the east of Worcester; however there were no nearby stations on this line, and the CrossCountry trains passed through Worcestershire Parkway without stopping. Worcestershire County Council therefore sought for many years to have a station on this line built near Worcester.[5]

The station is positioned a mile outside Worcester near the village of Norton, at the point where the Cross Country line passes under the Cotswold Line from Worcester to Oxford and London. It has two low-level platforms on the former, and one high-level platform on the latter (as it is single-track at this point), allowing interchange between the two lines. It is also 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, which is expected to relieve traffic and parking problems in Worcester itself.[5][6]

Map of railways around Worcester, showing location of station

Part of the purpose for the stations development is that Worcestershire Parkway will be the focus of strategic development up to 2041. The strategic growth area extends to approximately 1,130 hectares (2790 acres) and is bounded by the M5, A44, the North Cotswold and Birmingham to Bristol mainline railway and Stoulton to the east. It is expected that development around Worcestershire Parkway will deliver up to 10,000 new homes; 50 hectares (123 acres) of employment sites; a new town centre; two secondary schools and seven primary schools and other supporting infrastructure. Health and other community facilities, including for sport and recreation will also be provided. The area will also benefit from the delivery of in excess of 40% green infrastructure which will include a community park and other smaller neighbourhood parks that will contain several LAPs, LEAPs and NEAPs. Several neighbourhoods will be planned throughout the site which will be linked to the social and community facilities by a network of safe and convenient pedestrian and cycle paths. The ‘Living Locally’ concept will also be applied which means that everyone will be able to meet their daily needs within a walkable catchment of 20 minutes.[7]

Concept plan for development of wider area

Development

An outline business case was developed by Laing Rail in March 2006, which concluded in favour of the development of Worcestershire Parkway Regional Interchange.[8] Worcestershire County Council set aside £3 million for park and ride facilities at the station in 2007.[9][10] 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) cited Worcestershire Parkway Regional Interchange as the top transport priority for Worcestershire.[11] It was also listed in the West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy as a Sub Regional Priority, and featured in Policy T6 - Strategic Park and Ride. A revised business case was submitted to the Department for Transport's (DfT) Rail Office, who gave their formal support to the project in 2012.[12]

In July 2014, the station was given funding as part of a government infrastructure fund distributed to local enterprise partnerships.[13]

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."[14]

Construction

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.[15]

In February 2015, the 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.[16] On 25 August 2015 planning permission was granted, with work expected to start in 2016. The cost of the scheme was estimated at £22 million.[17][18]

A potential legal battle between Worcester County Council and Norton Parkway Developments, who owned the land, started in 2016. Norton Parkway Developments refused to hand over the land to the council as they felt that they were in a position to complete the development themselves.[19]

In January 2017, WCC's plans for Worcestershire Parkway were approved by the DfT.[20] 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.[21][22] Construction work finally began in early 2018, with a planned opening date in 2019.[23] In November 2019, it was announced that the station would open on 15 December 2019.[24] This was later pushed back to an unspecified time "early in the New Year."[25] In January 2020, it was announced that the station would be further delayed but opening was expected 'well before' the May timetable change.[26]

View of station atrium

Phase 1 construction included the Cotswold Line, station building, interchange facilities, 300-space car park, road access and infrastructure for phase 2. This second phase included two new platforms on the Birmingham - Bristol Main Line, a footbridge between the phase 1 and 2 platforms, and an additional 200 car parking spaces.[27]

Worcestershire Parkway opened to the public on Sunday 23 February 2020. The first train to serve the new station was the 08:29 GWR service to London Paddington. At 9:57 the first train arrived from London Paddington. The first Cross Country service to serve the station was the 10:40 to Cardiff Central from Birmingham New Street.

Response

According to Worcestershire County Council, the usage of the station has exceeded expectations with 544,270 journeys made from the station between April 2022 and March 2023, numbers not expected for another 11 years. A plaque was unveiled by Beatrice Grant to mark the occasion.[28]

Services

The station is served by both Worcester - Oxford/London and all Nottingham - Cardiff trains. The aim is for trains to travel to London in 2 hours or less.[27]

Phase 3 of the station's introduction will schedule additional CrossCountry trains.[27]

Services at Worcestershire Parkway are operated by CrossCountry and Great Western Railway. The current off-peak service at the station in trains per hour (tph) is:

Preceding station   National Rail National Rail   Following station
Cheltenham Spa   CrossCountry
Cardiff – Birmingham – Nottingham		   University
Ashchurch for Tewkesbury
limited service		    
Worcester Shrub Hill   Great Western Railway
Hereford – London Paddington		   Pershore or Evesham
  Future services  
Cheltenham Spa   CrossCountry
South West – North East and Scotland		   Birmingham New
Street
  CrossCountry
Bristol – Manchester		  

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Estimates of station usage". Office of Rail and Road. Archived from the original on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  2. ↑ DFT Archived 6 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ "Opening date for Worcestershire Parkway finally revealed". Worcester News. Archived from the original on 12 February 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  4. ↑ "First trains stop at Worcestershire Parkway station". BBC News. 23 February 2020. Archived from the original on 23 February 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  5. 1 2 "New train station connects Worcester to London, Cardiff & Nottingham". ITV news. 23 February 2020. Archived from the original on 24 February 2020. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  6. ↑ "Worcestershire Parkway rail station given go ahead". BBC News. 25 August 2015. Archived from the original on 24 February 2020. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  7. ↑ "South Worcestershire Development Plan" (PDF). South Worcestershire Development Plan. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  8. ↑ "Worcestershire Parkway Regional Interchange (From Worcestershire County Council)". worcestershire.gov.uk. 19 December 2012. Archived from the original on 4 September 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  9. ↑ "New rail station 'could just be a white elephant' (From Worcester News)". Worcesternews.co.uk. 11 January 2007. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
  10. ↑ "Network West Midlands - Error" (PDF). 3 March 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  11. ↑ Everett, Amy. "The Local Transport Plan". L,T. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  12. ↑ "Worcestershire Parkway plans progress (From BBC News)". news.bbc.co.uk. 1 August 2012. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  13. ↑ "Worcestershire Growth Deal". Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership. 7 July 2014. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  14. ↑ Edwards, Tom (14 November 2014). "£17m Worcestershire Parkway will not wreck services at Foregate Street, insists county council". Western Telegraph. Archived from the original on 4 February 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
  15. ↑ Edwards, Tom (11 July 2014). "Worcestershire Parkway rail station plans submitted". BBC News. Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  16. ↑ "View Notice - Sell2Wales". www.sell2wales.gov.wales. Archived from the original on 11 August 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  17. ↑ "UK's Worcestershire Parkway regional interchange station gets planning permission - Railway Technology". Railway Technology. 27 August 2015. Archived from the original on 11 August 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  18. ↑ "Worcestershire Parkway rail station given go ahead". BBC News. 25 August 2015. Archived from the original on 24 February 2020. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  19. ↑ "Council issues land grab order over £22m Worcestershire Parkway". Worcester News. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  20. ↑ "Worcestershire Parkway Regional Interchange | Worcestershire Parkway Regional Interchange | Worcestershire County Council". Archived from the original on 26 October 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  21. ↑ "PICTURES: Lift off! Clearance work underway for Worcestershire Parkway". Worcester News. Archived from the original on 11 August 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  22. ↑ "Contractor chosen for new railway station in Worcestershire". 21 February 2017. Archived from the original on 11 August 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  23. ↑ Preece, Stephen. "Worcestershire Parkway Rail Station". www.worcestershire.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 11 August 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  24. ↑ "Worcester Parkway on track for December opening". 6 November 2019. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  25. ↑ "Worcestershire Parkway | Great Western Railway". www.gwr.com. Archived from the original on 7 December 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  26. ↑ Barnett, Christian (31 January 2020). "Trains will be calling at Worcestershire Parkway as soon as it opens, council promises". Malvern Gazette. Archived from the original on 2 February 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  27. 1 2 3 "Worcestershire Parkway Station Worcestershire Local Transport Body Funding Application" (PDF). Worcestershire County Council. May 2013. pp. 1, 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  28. ↑ "Worcestershire Parkway passenger numbers exceed all expectations". Worcestershire County Council. 8 September 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  29. ↑ "Train Timetables | Stansted, Cambridge, Leicester and Nottingham to Birmingham & Cardiff | Sunday 21 May - Saturday 9 December 2023" (PDF). CrossCountry Trains.

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