Worcestershire Parkway Regional Interchange

Worcestershire Parkway (Regional Interchange) is a proposed new railway station to be built near Norton, Worcester, England. The project is currently enjoying renewed interest, and the business case and technical development work is currently being undertaken by and for Worcestershire County Council. A new station on this site was first suggested in the 1970s, but it was rejected because of cost.

The station would be where the Cotswold and Cross Country Lines cross. It has been said that Worcester Shrub Hill would have to close when the new station opens, to justify the passenger numbers. The construction of the station would give Worcester long distance Cross Country trains that normally do not stop, bypassing Worcester. Based on the current timetable, it has been deemed feasible for a reasonable service to Birmingham Bristol and London to operate from this site.

Worcestershire County Council have set aside £3 million for park and ride facilities at the station.

In June 2008 it was announced that the station was unlikely to be built for many years. Following this, in October 2008 an e-petition was set up on the No 10 website calling for a Worcestershire Parkway.

The Third Worcestershire Local Transport Plan (LTP3) cites Worcestershire Parkway Regional Interchange as the top transport priority for Worcestershire. It is also listed in the West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy as a Sub Regional Priority, and features in Policy T6 - Strategic Park and Ride.

Worcestershire County Council is currently coordinating the development of the business case. An outline business case was developed by Laing Rail in March 2006, which concluded in favour of the development of Worcestershire Parkway Regional Interchange.

The revised business case was submitted to the Department for Transport's Rail Office, who gave their formal support to the project in 2012.

More recently, the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership has sought to actively support the County Council to press Train Operating Companies interested in tendering for the Greater Western Franchise to support investment in this scheme.

In February 2013, Worcestershire County Council submitted a bid to the Network Rail managed New Stations Fund for £7 million to fund the first phase of development of Worcestershire Parkway.

Unfortunately, the DFT funding application was turned down in July 2013. The county council are on record stating that the interchange remains a vital project and alternative funding is being sought.