Rail chiefs warn of more delays in £8.5m station improvements

The Platform for Change – Redeveloping Rotherham Railway Station scheme has attracted widespread criticism over construction delays and rocketing costs since building work first began back in February 2010.

The station between Sheffield and Doncaster was supposed to be finished by December 2010, but that date was moved to summer 2011 and then moved again to the following autumn.

However, by last December, work was still not complete, leading to the town’s MP Denis MacShane launching a stinging attack on South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE), which led the project.

Funding for the station is largely from the European Regional Development Fund while others involved were Rotherham Council, Network Rail, Northern Rail, Yorkshire Forward and the Department for Transport.

On February 24 the new ticketing office, waiting room and entrance opened to the public almost 14 months late, along with new lifts and stairs, a move which was welcomed by train operator Northern.

SYPTE bosses said contractors would remain on site until around Easter to complete work on platform one and rebuild the station car park, after which further landscaping works would take place between the car park and canal.

But a spokesman for SYPTE confirmed that although passenger facilities had been open since late February, building contractors were still on site working on removing bridges and other temporary structures.

The spokesman added: “There are still some workers on site, taking down some of the scaffolding associated with a temporary bridge which couldn’t be removed until other areas of the station were finished.

“Once that is removed they will be able to complete the final pieces of the station building, which they could not do with the temporary bridge in place. There will also be some landscaping work to finish.”

Mr MacShane has written furious letters to Transport Secretary Justine Greening demanding Government intervention to find out why the development at the station became mired in such long hold-ups and to ensure the work was finished swiftly.

He said the project was like “something from the Soviet era” and added: “Rail privatisation has been a national disgrace and disaster. I hope Justine, who comes from Rotherham herself, understands the frustration of people here at the terrible state the station has been left in while this interminable work has been going on.”

Ms Greening responded to the MP in January, agreeing that the project had taken “far too long” and giving assurances over his concerns about delays and accessibility problems for disabled passengers.

SYPTE officers said yesterday they hoped to invite Ms Greening to an official opening ceremony, at the station when all work in and around the site is complete “later in the summer”.

SYPTE’s director of customer experience, David Young, said last December that the overrun had been caused by a number of factors, with many delays being caused because the station had to remain open while the rebuild took place. Other excuses were severe weather, extra structural work not in the original plan and demolition delays.

Announcing the opening of the ticket office and entrance Mr Young said: “We apologise that the works at Rotherham Central Station have taken longer than expected.

“We are confident that customers will be impressed with the significant improvements in the station’s facilities, which we hope will contribute to making the town a much more vibrant, successful and healthy place for people to live, work, visit and invest in.”