PLANS for an underground park-and-ride terminal in Worcester have been shelved.

Project Express was described as a major overhaul of Worcester's public transport system.

It included a new terminal built into a natural bank in Whittington, as well as free bus travel for under 19s and a fleet of futuristic tram-buses.

In August 2005, the Worcester News carried exclusive artists impressions of the terminal - a complex that included cafes, restaurants, a balcony and community areas.

However, it has now emerged that the proposals have not been included in the council's plans for 2006 to 2011.

Andy Baker, Worcestershire County Council's passenger transport operations manager, says it was because they needed to take "a step back". He said: "We have written something called the Integrated Passenger Transport Strategy.

"It is basically a document that says we need to step back and look again at the county as a whole, from an integrated point of view - buses, trains, taxis and cycling all together."

The plans for the Whittington terminal have therefore not been dropped altogether.

Mr Banks said if the Norton Parkway - an integrated bus and train station - goes ahead, the council may consider putting a park-and-ride there, rather than in Whittington.

"We are going to do a lot of work," he said.

"We going ask whether we need a Whittington site. It's almost a step backwards. We are asking what is really needed for the county."

While some features of the Project Express have been dropped, including the free bus travel for under 19s and the space age Express tram-buses, others have gone ahead.

The orbital bus route between Perdiswell, Warndon Villages, Worcestershire Royal Hospital and the city centre is now up and running and free bus travel for over 60s has proved incredibly popular.

The Integrated Passenger Transport Strategy is still in draft form, but the council hope it will be adopted by the autumn.

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