Revamp of Staffordshire railway stations could be put on hold until 2020

Network Rail declared there was no 'active project' to invest in the stations although bosses have admitted the platforms do need expanding in order to accommodate longer trains.

Last week the Express & Star revealed talks were underway around enhancing the three Cannock Chase sites in time for the Mill Green which will feature dozens of shops and restaurants.

A Network Rail boss has now vowed to get the ball rolling with applications for Government funding for longer-term projects in 2020-2025.

Meanwhile Cannock Chase District Council is trying to lobby support from the West Midlands Combined Authority and Local Enterprise Partnerships.

Richard Dugdale from Network Rail, was delivering an update on the Chase Line electrification project, when he declared improving stations was not part of the work.

He said the new passenger trains, set to go live as early as 2018, would feature a minimum of three carriages in response to current concerns about overcrowding on the Chase Line.

Mr Dugdale declared he would ideally like to see six-carriage trains but added the current stations along the route could not accommodate that.

He said: "When you provide a better service people will flock to it.

"It will be a victim of its own success.

"If we were to plan for four platforms we might as well make it a six-car platform that is my view. There is not currently a project in place to do that.

"But there would be no point extending the platform at Cannock to make it longer, when platforms elsewhere remain short. The bigger picture is a whole platform enhancement.

"There is not an active project to develop that. I know developers and the council are in discussions about some sort of improvement scheme. It is not part of the electrification project."

He added: "I will talk to my colleagues involved for business planning for 2020 to 2025 in terms of what we would need to do to upgrade the stations."

Councillor Maureen Freeman expressed her view on the current state of stations across the district.

She said: "The stations are ancient across our district.

"Cannock Station in a very bad state and we have to move on here because we have got the new village coming. Hednesford and Cannock will not be inviting to passengers coming in and wanting to come down to the new village. It has to be seen as some sort of priority to make the area welcoming."

Mill Green, which will feature up to 130 outlets, is expected to cost £115 million and open in 2019.