A MAJOR new railway station is still on course to open by the end of the year as the final preparations are being made to make it ready for trains to stop.

The final touches are being made to Worcestershire Parkway in time for it to open when the train timetable changes in mid-December.

With construction work all but over, Worcestershire County Council is hoping a series of rigorous tests run smoothly so the station stays on course to open by the end of the year.

Councillor Ken Pollock, cabinet member for economy and infrastructure, said: “I’m really pleased with the progress at the station site over the last few months.

“A huge effort continues to be made by all concerned to get us ready for the next phase.

“This next phase will be one of the most important, and complex, of the whole scheme where numerous stakeholders, including the train operators and Network Rail, will come together with the aim of getting the station ready to open for public use.”

The county council now appears to be reaching the final stop for the much-delayed project which was first revealed more than a decade ago.

Planning permission was granted in August 2015 and work was expected to start in 2016.

The council said the station would be built by early 2019 and then changed the finish date to later that summer.

The building of the station finally stated in early 2018 and the council now hopes to stick to its revised end-of-the-year target.

The new train station boasts 500 car parking spaces – with room for expansion – as well as electric car charging points, two bicycle shelters and parking space for motorcycles.

Great Western Railway (GWR) will decide how much car parking charges will be but are yet to set a final cost.

Worcestershire County Council said it has told GWR that it does not want prices to be so expensive that it ‘creates a barrier’ for passengers but the decision still lies with the railway company.

The new station will also have retail space which would also be put out to let by GWR.

Once up-and-running passengers will be able to use GWR trains between Hereford, Worcester, Oxford and London Paddington as well as CrossCountry Trains between Cardiff and Nottingham.