Celebrations at new-look Kidderminster Station

The station, operated by West Midlands Railway, opened its doors in June 2020 following a multi-million-pound transformation. Due to Covid-19 lockdown restrictions nationwide at the time, no official event could be held to mark the opening.

Worcestershire County Council (WCC) held an opening event with invited guests to mark the occasion, with a plaque unveiled at the station by Droitwich-born Rebecca, who won silver at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics in the 100-metre breaststroke.

Councillor Alan Amos, from WCC, said:

“I’m so pleased that we have finally been able to celebrate the opening of this wonderful, fully refurbished station.

“Investment into infrastructure has been greater in recent years than at any stage in the last three decades and we continue our investment into transport and seek to better connect our places, people and businesses across Worcestershire and beyond.

“Our investment into improving the rail network, and working with partners to achieve this, is an important part of our long-term strategy for better connection.”

Ian Baxter, from project managers SLC Rail, said:

"I'm delighted that we've come together to mark the transformation of Kidderminster station. This has seen SLC Rail, and many other organisations and partners, support Worcestershire County Council to bring to life its vision to create a new inviting gateway that we can all be proud of.

“It's just the start of a better connected railway for Kidderminster, as we progress plans Worcestershire’s ambitions for new services towards Oxford and London and improved car parking provision."

Simone Carter, station manager for West Midlands Railway, said:

“The new-look Kidderminster Station is already making a positive difference to our customers’ journeys and will continue to do so for decades to come.

“As more passengers continue to return to the railway following the pandemic, it is a privilege for our station team to be able to welcome people back in such an improved, comfortable and spacious environment.”

The station features an impressive glass-fronted station building, which is double the size of the old building. Along with the new building, there were a number of other improvements made to the forecourt area to make it safer for pedestrians to access the station and to improve the drop-off, taxi and disabled parking arrangements.

The improvement works were mainly funded by Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership and Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership via the Local Growth Fund with contributions from Worcestershire County Council and Wyre Forest District Council.