Friday, March 29, 2024
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Still fighting for station

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Barnt Green Parish Council has vowed once again that it will not give up the fight for improvements at the village railway station.

Parish clerk Tracy Bodley reported that Richard Brooks, Customer Service Director for West Midlands Railway, had responded to the council’s continuing request for better signage, stating that “significant investment” was planned and that he had asked the station manager to look into “identifying funding streams”.

Parish chairman Robert Cholmondeley said: “We should ask them for a time frame on this. Since I met the station manager, I’ve heard nothing more, not even a reply to a chaser email. We need to keep the pressure up – it’s attrition.”

Councillors will also keep pressing for lifts at the station, although Coun Cholmondeley said he felt it would “not be done in my lifetime”.

He added: “I think Network Rail knew, when our application for Access for All funding went to the Department for Transport, that it would not be approved. They played for time, wasting a year until the budgets are already agreed.“

Coun Charlie Hotham said that Worcestershire’s Equalities Officer was aware of the matter, adding:

“I recently spoke to Ken Pollock [county Cabinet Member for Economy and Infrastructure] who said that lifts had been approved at Shrub Hill, so we must be moving up the list!”