Funding announced for new stations in England and Wales

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Image: Warrington Borough Council.
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Five new stations are to receive a share of £16 million from the Department for Transport (DfT) through its New Stations Fund programme.

Horden Peterlee in County Durham, Warrington West in Cheshire, Reading Green Park, Bow Street in Ceredigion, Wales, and Portway Parkway close to Bristol will all benefit.

All of the station projects will be completed by early 2020, the DfT has said.

Rail Minister Paul Maynard said: “We are committed to improving journeys for passengers right across the country. This means delivering more trains, quicker journeys and making more seats available.

“The New Stations Fund is a great example of how our record investment in the railways and work with local authorities and industry is delivering better journeys for passengers and boosting local economies.”

Work is due to begin on the most expensive of the five new stations, Warrington West, later this year. The £17.2 million station will have two platforms is designed to reduce congestion on the M62.

Pete Waterman, a board member of Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and chair of the Local Transport Board, said: “This announcement is great news for Cheshire and Warrington that will enable us to progress a vital infrastructure scheme to improve transport and accessibility in and around Warrington.

“The LEP has committed over £6.5 million from the Local Growth Fund to take forward the delivery of Warrington West Railway Station. This additional funding from Government will support the delivery of a modern station to meet the needs of key employment sites in the area such as Omega and Lingley Mere, and ensure that Warrington is in a strong position to capitalise on future growth opportunities such as Warrington New City.”

This is the latest batch of funding to be released through the New Stations Fund. The programme has already supported the construction of Newcourt station, Lea Bridge, Pye Corner, Ilkeston and Kenilworth, which will open later this year.

Details of the funding each station is receving are listed below.

  • Horden Peterlee – £4.4m against total cost of £10.55m
  • Warrington West – £4.23m (£17.2m)
  • Reading Green Park – £2.3m (£16.5m)
  • Bow Street – £3.945m (£6.76m)
  • Portway Parkway – £1.672m (£2.23m)

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