Worcestershire Parkway railway station wins funding

A long-awaited new rail station has won millions of pounds of government funding.

The Worcestershire Parkway Station, planned for Norton, is among projects to benefit from £34.1m from 2016 onwards, under the Growth Deal.

The aim is to reduce journey times to London to under two hours.

The £17.1m project is earmarked for a site at the intersection of railway lines to Birmingham, Bristol and London at junction seven of the M5.

'Huge step'

The Conservative leader of the county council Adrian Hardman said he hoped the station could become reality by 2017.

He said: "We are finally getting our moons aligned."

West Worcestershire Conservative MP Harriett Baldwin said this was one scheme on which the county's long-term economic plan depended.

She said: "This is a huge step forward."