Further delay to new railway station plan

The original Pontrilas Station closed in 1958

Plans to recreate a passenger railway station for south-west Herefordshire have hit a further setback.

A "Golden Valley Parkway task force" was set up late last year to co-ordinate progress on the proposal between councils and rail operators for Pontrilas on the Hereford-Abergavenny line.

Now, a monitoring report on progress towards 179 council "milestones" has flagged as "red" its goal of completing a strategic outline business case for the plans.

"Delays in engagement with Network Rail has meant that the brief for procuring a professional services provider to undertake business case has not yet been agreed by the task force," the report said.

The plan is supported by Conservative MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire and former transport minister Jesse Norman.

In June, Herefordshire Council said it planned to spend £50,000 developing a business case in partnership with rail industry figures, but cautioned at the time it was "not possible to commit to a timescale for station opening".

The incoming Labour government then cancelled the Restoring Your Railways fund, which had been seen as the most promising source of funding to get the scheme off the ground.

The council's monitoring report said it had delivered, or was likely to deliver, 140 out of the 179 milestones by the start of April.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.