Plans for new rail station near Northampton 'not dead'
Plans for a new railway station south of Northampton are suffering from the downturn in the housing market and are "resting, not dead", says Network Rail.
A park-and-ride station close to Milton Malsor and adjacent to junction 15 of the M1 was proposed about two years ago.
The station was intended to improve rail access for the Daventry area and to serve a planned major housing estate that would extend Milton Malsor. However, it has not materialised.
The proposer was housebuilder Taylor Wimpey and now Network Rail has reportedly told the East Midlands transport group a major slowdown in the construction industry meant the proposal has gone "very quiet recently".
Local Transport Today reported that a spokesman for National Rail said: "Taylor Wimpey maintain the project is 'resting' and not 'dead' but nothing has happened for about six months and we are not expecting any further movement until the upturn in the market."
Possible urban extensions to Northampton were being proposed in 2007 by the West Northamptonshire Joint Planning Unit, a group formed byNorthampton Borough Council, South Northamptonshire District Council andDaventryDistrict Council.
The proposals include extensions on land in the parish between the M1 north of the village, A43 bypass (west), A508 trunk road (east) and theWest Coast main railway lineto the south.
Aparkway station south of the village was also mentioned in the proposals despite concerns London Midland did not want more stops between London and Rugby via Northampton.
But Patrick Rawlinson, of Northampton's Rail User's Group, said he was sceptical a parkway station near Milton Malsor and Blisworth would ever materialise.
He also said any new station in the county would slow down trains to London.
He said: "If this was to go ahead it would be far less likely that Castle Station in Northampton would get the improvements it has been promised and I can't see that being jeopardised."
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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