Station open after £2.5m revamp

Rail passengers in Tipton will be able to catch their train from the town's newly refurbished rail station tomorrow.

The station closed in September 2009 while the £2.5m work was done.It was due to reopen at the end of April, but the project team managed to complete the work early.

Gaps between the train and the platform edge have been reduced.

There are also new access ramps to the subway and station and anti-slip paving on the platform edge.

The station, which serves trains on the Wolverhampton, Birmingham New Street, Birmingham International and Coventry line, has a new glass and steel waiting shelter on the Birmingham bound platform.

It will be the first time that commuters will be able to take advantage of the extended car park, which now has 71 spaces, compared with 52 before.

Centro carried out the work as the land from the old car park was required for the new Tipton tunnel.

It includes new CCTV cameras, a public address system and Help Points for users.

The walking route from the station to the car park has also been improved.It has been estimated that the car park will take over 35,000 car journeys off the region's roads every year.

Councillor Tim Huxtable, lead member for rail and metro operations at Centro, said: "It is excellent news."