A NEW multi-million pound railway station in Worcestershire will open to passengers tomorrow (Tuesday).

Rail users will benefit from a range of improved facilities at the new Bromsgrove Station, including a staffed ticket office, passenger waiting room, toilets and 350 onsite car parking spaces.

An external concourse will link passengers to the car parking areas along with new bus stops, a taxi rank, pedestrian footpaths and a cycle store.

The station is fully accessible to all users and has the capacity to handle 800,000 passengers per year. In addition, the longer platforms will allow additional rail services to stop at Bromsgrove in the future.

Further railway construction works are scheduled during 2016 as Network Rail electrification works continue. Once complete, there will be four trains per hour between Bromsgrove and Birmingham.

The new railway station has been developed by Worcestershire County Council, the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), and Network Rail, with construction contractor Buckingham Group. It has cost £24m to design and build.

Cllr Ken Pollock, Worcestershire County Council's cabinet member for economy, skills and infrastructure, said: "Improving transport links in our county is a key priority.

"The substantial investment in this important improvement project, as well as other transport programmes across Worcestershire, is a reflection of our commitment to stimulating and securing future economic growth. It also ensures Worcestershire, which boasts the fourth fastest growing economy in the country, is very much 'Open for Business'."

Cllr Roger Lawrence of the WMCA, said: “I am delighted that the new Bromsgrove station is now open. It is a superb new facility for the town that provides so much more than passengers have been used to, enabling increased frequency of trains to and from Bromsgrove and better access to rail services across the region.”

Martin Ball, Area Director for Network Rail, said: “The new Bromsgrove station provides a significant boost to passengers and the wider area, providing better facilities and a much-improved first impression of the town."

Steve Fisher, head of regional services at London Midland, which will be staffing the station, said: “The new station is all about making travel simpler for our passengers."

There are no changes to train ticket prices or train timetables. Regular users are being asked to allow additional time when using the new station during late July until they become familiar with the station.