Railway station building costs soar by £1.7m

A sum of £5.5m has already been earmarked to build the passenger railway station at Low Moor which it is hoped will be up and running by December 2014.

But a report to be considered by councillors on Thursday reveals the latest estimated cost of the station stands at £7.2m – excluding further costs which have arisen.

The report for the Bradford South Area Committee says that while efforts are being taken to reduce the estimated cost of the scheme “these are unlikely to bring costs down to within the available budget. Previously committed funding remains ring-fenced.”

It adds: “Whilst the scope of the additional funding necessary to cover the increased costs is still being quantified the possibility of using additional budgets to contribute towards the delivery of the station is being examined by the council and Metro officers.

“One possible option could include re-prioritising some of Bradford’s Local Transport Plan monies in the next implementation plan.”

The escalating budget costs have been attributed to the discovery of old mine shafts near the proposed station site, which surveys had failed to find; significant ground slopes and challenging topography of the car park site and track side access; and the presence of previously unidentified gas pipelines which cross the site.

The report notes: “A key point is that whilst the costs of the station infrastructure itself are broadly comparable with other recent railway schemes, the emerging site characteristics have added additional elements of risk, and hence cost, to the scheme which to date it has not been possible to mitigate.”

On top of the £7.2m, the scheme may need at least a further £500,000 to realign the existing track to meet modern safety standards and more money for a larger car park.

The report says that Metro remains committed to delivering the station and that previously committed funding is still ring-fenced.

A Metro spokesman said: “Our original estimate for the cost of Low Moor Rail Station was based on our previous experience with Glasshoughton Rail Station. However, capital costs have been driven up by conditions specific to the Low Moor site and it’s industrial heritage.

“Metro is working with Network Rail and train operator Northern, to ensure a robust business case can be delivered through a combination of investigating the means of reducing building costs and enabling more trains to call at the station each hour.”

Leeds Councillor James Lewis, chair of The West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority, Metro, said: “There is certainly political support for it (Low Moor Railway Station) and we are committed to making it happen.”

It is hoped the new station would include accessible platforms with pedestrian footbridge and ramps; car parking spaces with dedicated disabled parking bays, a drop-off point and cycle parking.

The station would also include modern waiting shelters and direct access to and from the adjacent Spen Valley Greenway.

Proposals for the new station have been developed over a number of years and were prioritised by the five West Yorkshire authorities in 2009. A public consultation exercise on the design was carried out in November 2011 and, according to the report, the scheme was “well received by the vast majority of people who responded to the proposals”.

The scheme’s updated business case is described as “strong”, at a service frequency of three trains per hour. However, the report notes that the “broader strategic initiatives” and the “complex interactions” on the Caldervale line mean that a three or even two trains per hour service at Low Moor would be difficult.