PERSHORE MP Dame Harriett Baldwin has urged county transport chiefs to allow for more services at Worcestershire Parkway railway station and accused them of a ‘lack of ambition’.
The MP has already offered her backing for an expansion to car parking at the site, and this week agreed to support a bid for a new train service connecting Cardiff and York, via Worcestershire Parkway.
An application has been submitted by open-access operator Lumo to add the new train service to the network within three years, which is already being used by Cross Country Trains and GWR.
Latest figures show that passengers are up 170 per cent in the last year alone, however, Worcestershire County Council and Great Western Railways appear to have stalled plans to expand the car park as GWR moves into public ownership.
Dame Harriett said: “The only thing holding it back is the lack of ambition at County Hall.
“It’s time for Worcestershire County Council to step up and take the strategic decision to help more people choose the train to travel to and from our popular new station.”
In response to this claim, Councillor Karl Perks, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “Harriet Baldwin MP is quite right, Worcestershire Parkway is far exceeding the expectations that were set out in the business case.
“It is currently operating at the equivalent of year 13 of its business case, even though it is only five years since the station opened.
“We are aware that the car park is operating near capacity on some days, particularly mid-week.
“We are going to be re-evaluating passenger data in the New Year, looking at how many travel from and to the station and from where.”
