Buckingham Group has been selected to build a £22 million transport interchange in Worcestershire.

The Worcestershire Parkway Regional Interchange Station will be built east of M5 Junction 7 at Norton. Completion is scheduled for 2018.

Buckingham will start site preparation and final design work this winter. They will work alongside SLC Rail, who are project managing the scheme on behalf of the Council..

The scheme, which forms part of the County Council's Local Transport Plan and Worcester Transport Strategy, is part of growth plans to boost the County's economic value to £2.9bn, creating 25,000 new jobs by 2025.

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The station will be an integrated hub between bus, road and cycle routes. Once finished, it will make it easier for passengers to use the County's 'North Cotswold' rail link from Worcester to Oxford and London Paddington.

The majority of the scheme will be self-funded through station car park fees and access charges levied on the Train Operating Companies, along with £8.3m from the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership through the Government's Growth Deal.

Cllr Ken Pollock said: "Worcestershire Parkway is a major player in the county's future economic prosperity, which is why we need a specialist contractor we can trust to deliver the scheme to time and budget.  Buckingham Group's reputation and experience in the rail sector is evident and we are delighted to have them on board."

Marc Riley, Framework Director for Rail at Buckingham, added: "The design and build contract for Worcestershire Parkway is an exciting project for the region and we are thrilled to have been appointed to deliver a scheme which will play such an integral part in Worcestershire's future."

(LM/CD)