17.06.13
£6.9m Stratford station opens
The new railway station at Stratford-upon-Avon Parkway has been delivered ahead of schedule and on budget. The £6.9m station is seven months early, Warwickshire County Council has announced.
Buckingham Group Contracting started a design and build contract in October 2012, co-funded by the DfT and the council. The Local Sustainable Transport Fund provided £4.995m towards the scheme.
Centro is also funding extra train services later into the night between Stratford and Birmingham. The new station includes a folding cycle hire scheme.
London Midland’s managing director, Patrick Verwer, said: “The opening of Stratford Parkway station is great news for passengers and brings with it significant service improvements, both now and in the future. With later and more frequent trains running between Stratford and Birmingham, passengers can now enjoy extra flexibility, whether they are enjoying a night out, a spot of shopping, or taking in a play at the world-famous RSC.
“From December 2013, there will also be a new, even later Saturday night service and increased off-peak frequency.
“This will offer yet more options for passengers, and I have no doubt that both the station and new services will prove hugely popular with passengers.”
Chairman Cllr John McNicholas said: “This new station and the extra train services that are now running is fantastic news for commuters. It will help meet rising demand for train travel and also tackle the road congestion which costs the West Midlands economy more than £2.3bn a year.”
Transport minister Norman Baker MP visited the station last week and said: “This is a great new station for people around Stratford who needed a more convenient way to make trips into Birmingham and beyond and I am glad to have been able to support it and other new stations around the country.
“This is another tangible example of the Coalition Government’s commitment to transforming the railways, part of the biggest programme of rail investment since the 19th Century. After years of decline and stagnation, the railways are on their way up again.”
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