Background
The possibility of a new Parkway station for Worcestershire had been an aspiration for some years. Rail patronage growth in Worcestershire lagged behind the national average and of neighbouring counties due to lack of direct access to CrossCountry rail services and insufficient car park capacity in the county to access services to and from London and the south-east, which had a negative impact on economic growth in the county. In 2013, Worcestershire County Council sought funding for the scheme via the then-government’s New Stations Fund (NSF). This was unsuccessful due to the early stage of the schemes development. However, the NSF bid raised the profile of the parkway concept, and the council resolved to continue to develop the scheme and gain funding with the help of SLC Rail.
Services provided
- Agreed terms with Network Rail and put in place a 175-year lease between Worcestershire County Council and Network Rail for the land on which the station was built
- Specified the station and its required accesses with Network Rail and Great Western Railway (GWR)
- Negotiated the roles and responsibilities for the upkeep of the station
- Put in place a long lease with GWR for the car park, which for commercial reasons is separate from the station but works in harmony
- Supported the rail industry to put in place a station lease to allow GWR to be Station Facility Owner
- Created a new set of Station Specific Annexes for the station which were approved by the Office of Road & Rail
- Supported the Entry into Service Process, ensuring the station was added to the GWR Station Licence
- Undertook all of the associated contractual arrangements for the supply of utilities and associated under track crossings
- Negotiated and implemented a two-party overbridge agreement to facilitate a public right of way
