Worcestershire County Council has granted planning permission for a new railway station as part of its economic plan to create 25,000 new jobs by 2025.
The £22m Parkway Regional Interchange Railway Station will link the Cotswolds and Birmingham to Bristol lines, and is due to open in autumn 2017.
The council has earmarked £14m for the project, and hopes to recoup its investment through car park charges and station access charges paid by Train Operating Companies. The Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) will also contribute £7.5m to the costs of building the new station.
Cllr John Smith, the council’s cabinet member for highways, said: ‘The county council recognises how important a reliable and robust transport infrastructure is to the local economy, which is why we are committed to continuing to invest in this key area through several major projects including Worcestershire Parkway.
‘As well as reducing journey times and congestion, the station will improve rail accessibility and connectivity with the rest of the country. In turn this will attract inward investment and create new jobs.’
A public engagement exercise last year showed 91% of people supported the plans.
