CONSTRUCTION is about to start on the new Worcestershire Parkway Station.

The area for a 500-space car park is now cleared and groundworks are complete, paving the way for construction to begin.

The foundations are being laid for construction of the main station building.

The steel frame will begin to take shape in coming months, as well as the footbridge over the railway line from Woodbury Lane.

Councillor Ken Pollock, cabinet member with responsibility for economy and infrastructure, said: "The progress on the new Worcestershire Parkway station is great news for the county.

"The new station will help to ensure Worcestershire has much better connectivity with other parts of the country. This is one of the council's key priorities.

"With our local economy already booming, this new station will help to continue our growth and benefit local businesses and residents."

The station, located to the east of junction 7 of the M5, will be accessible for commuters and other rail passengers from all over the county.

Many of these commuters currently travel outside the county to get their trains to London, the Southwest, South Wales or to the North or choose to drive to their end destination.

Chris Walklett, tax partner at Bishop Fleming Chartered Accountants, based in Worcester said: "It is really exciting to see the progress on the construction of Worcestershire Parkway.

"This new infrastructure alongside improvements to other stations like Bromsgrove previously and planned developments at Kidderminster and Pershore, will help to modernise our rail infrastructure.

"Our rail connectivity is critical to create business opportunities. The way we travel means that improvements in these services not just to and from London, but to Birmingham, Bristol and beyond is critical."

Worcestershire Parkway forms part of the wider £50million plus rail investment programme in the county by the County Council and its partners.

It comes as figures show that Worcestershire is set to see a 97 percent growth in passenger numbers on its rail network by 2043.

Rail improvements in the county include stations such as Kidderminster, Parkway and work already completed at Foregate Street in Worcester, Malvern Link and Bromsgrove.

To support easy access to the station, a new roundabout is to be built and the road widened near the station site on the B4084.

Work will run from March 5 until the end of September and temporary traffic lights will be in place.

Half of the existing carriageway will be removed so the signals will be in operation 24/7 for the duration of the works.

The signals will be manually operated during the day and sensor-controlled overnight and at weekends.

For more information about the Worcestershire Parkway scheme, visit www.worcestershire.gov.uk/parkway