ΟγΈΫΑωΊΟ²ΚΧΚΑΟΝΌΏβ

ΟγΈΫΑωΊΟ²ΚΧΚΑΟΝΌΏβ Parkway passenger numbers exceed all expectations

Published date
Guests pose with a banner outlining the number of Parkway passengers

More than 540,000 journeys have been made from ΟγΈΫΑωΊΟ²ΚΧΚΑΟΝΌΏβ Parkway Railway Station in the space of 12 months – exceeding all expectations. 

Parkway opened in February 2020 and is already performing way ahead of schedule. In total, 544,270 journeys were made from the station between April 2022 and March 2023 – the kind of volume not expected to be achieved for at least another eleven years. 

  

A special event to celebrate ΟγΈΫΑωΊΟ²ΚΧΚΑΟΝΌΏβ Parkway, which is run by Great Western Railway (GWR), took place on Friday (8th). Mrs Beatrice Grant, His Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of ΟγΈΫΑωΊΟ²ΚΧΚΑΟΝΌΏβ, West ΟγΈΫΑωΊΟ²ΚΧΚΑΟΝΌΏβ MP Harriett Baldwin and Lord Faulkner of Worcester, Chair of the North Cotswold Line Task Force were all in attendance, as well as Councillor Simon Geraghty, Leader of ΟγΈΫΑωΊΟ²ΚΧΚΑΟΝΌΏβ County Council and many others. 

  

Councillor Marc Bayliss, Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Economy, Infrastructure and Skills, said: β€œIt’s fantastic that Parkway has exceeded all the initial expectations and significantly more people are using it than we had hoped for only three years after opening. 

  

β€œΟγΈΫΑωΊΟ²ΚΧΚΑΟΝΌΏβ Parkway forms part of our wider Β£50million plus rail investment programme and is a key part of our ΟγΈΫΑωΊΟ²ΚΧΚΑΟΝΌΏβ Rail Investment Strategy (WRIS). 

  

β€œRail is critical to the ongoing economic development of ΟγΈΫΑωΊΟ²ΚΧΚΑΟΝΌΏβ, providing low carbon travel choice and the potential for enhanced connectivity to high growth economies throughout the country for businesses and residents in ΟγΈΫΑωΊΟ²ΚΧΚΑΟΝΌΏβ.” 

  

GWR Business Development Portfolio Director, Tom Pierpoint, said: β€œWe are delighted that ΟγΈΫΑωΊΟ²ΚΧΚΑΟΝΌΏβ Parkway customer numbers are so far ahead of expectations. To be hitting travel figures now that were originally anticipated to be reached in 2031 is remarkable, and a testament to everyone involved in the planning, design and building of the station. 

  

β€œIt shows how much appetite there is for modal shift to rail and how important the railway is for economic development and sustainability. There is the potential for even greater growth, and we look forward to continuing our work with ΟγΈΫΑωΊΟ²ΚΧΚΑΟΝΌΏβ County Council and the Department for Transport to truly realise the potential for this very important station.” 

  

At the event earlier today, there were a number of speeches made and a plaque was unveiled by Beatrice Grant to mark the occasion.

 

ΟγΈΫΑωΊΟ²ΚΧΚΑΟΝΌΏβ Parkway, located to the east of Junction 7 of the M5, is accessible for commuters and longer-distance travellers from all over the county. The station serves two railway lines (North Cotswold Line which goes to London Paddington and the Birmingham to Bristol Line). It’s a fully accessible, modern station building and boasts a 500-space car park. The station was the first, new station to open in ΟγΈΫΑωΊΟ²ΚΧΚΑΟΝΌΏβ in over 100 years.

 

Parkway has improved connectivity to the regional economies of Bristol and the South West, South Wales, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire, as well as the East Midlands, London and the South East.