TRAINS should be departing from Worcestershire Parkway station by December, the county council has revealed.

The finish line for the new multi-million pound railway station on the edge of the city has been the subject of speculation for months and a definitive answer on when it would open had not been given until now.

Councillors originally said the station would be built by early 2019 but it is now not expected to be completed until summer.

Nathan Campsall, director at the council’s rail consultant SLC Rail, blamed the delay on unexpected work to an embankment which the Cotswold line runs along.

Councillor Ken Pollock, cabinet member for economy and infrastructure, vowed that builders would be off the site and the station would be up-and-running by the end of the year, when he spoke at a press briefing yesterday (Wednesday).

Cllr Pollock said: “Every time I visit the site I am amazed at the progress being made.

“With the main station building now being fitted-out and the opening date expected late this year, the goal of trains stopping at the station is now in sight.”

In the last six months, a pedestrian bridge providing access to the platforms has been put in place, a new roundabout has been installed at the entrance to the station and work continues to build the station’s 500-space car park.

Work also continues on lifting the station’s three 265-metre platforms into place.