Rotherwas rail link could be stopped in its tracks as soon as next week

Herefordshire Council’s cabinet is to vote on support for a development plan and related feasibility study, having been warned of “significant costs” ahead and the likely need to subsidise a link already identified as not offering value for money.

A rejection, in the face of budget constraints, effectively means the end of the line.

The cabinet’s position, however, is made a little easier by the prospect of £250,000 coming the council’s way to invest in transport projects.

Budget projections for 2015/16 signal some that money paying for further study into the potential for a re-instated Rotherwas rail link and station.

The principle of exploring the link was agreed by the full council at its meeting in September.

A motion passed by the council called on cabinet to take “urgent and positive” action towards the link, a station, and associated park and ride scheme.

Any plan would provide for a rail freight facility serving the existing industrial estate and Skylon Park enterprise zone.

The motion requested that a development plan and an associated funding proposal should be placed before the council at the earliest opportunity for progression through the Local Enterprise Partnership and government funding routes.

But, even with council support, any development plan related to the motion has to follow overview guidance from Network Rail.

Any impacts on services will also need to be understood and agreed with train operating companies.

Supporters of the scheme say it could be an extension to the Birmingham to Hereford rail service operated by London Midland.

Currently, the council has no resources allocated for initial assessment and it is assumed that input from interested parties like Network Rail and London Midland will be provided at no cost to the council.

But cabinet has been warned that future stages, comprising detailed design and feasibility work and business case development in order to prepare funding bids, are likely to incur significant costs in consultancy fees.

The proposed rail link and new rail station are not a priority to either the council’s corporate plan or Local Transport Plan (LTP).

A business case study in 2012 included in the adopted LTP said the proposal - which included a new local rail service operating between Leominster and Rotherwas - did not represent good value for money, requiring an ongoing subsidy to operate and capital investment of over £10 million.

Funding options would depend on which organisation wanted to take the project forward.

Network Rail, for instance, sets out its investment programme in five year blocks with the earliest the project could fit in being that for 2019-2024.

So, if the council adopted the line as a priority it would have to allocate funds through local sources (such as prudential  borrowing and developer contributions or through a bid for external funds.

At present, external funding would be found through the Local Enterprise Partnership which can access the government’s local growth deal programme.

The council’s provisional 2015/16 funding settlement came with the potential for an additional £251,000 that is already earmarked for rural transport costs.

Much of the money will be used to support public transport services lost to cuts last year.

But the council’s 2015/16 budget plan pitches some funding for further feasibility work on a Rotherwas rail link.

The additional funding is for 2015/16 only, so if passenger demand exists and increases for services are supported, funding required beyond 2015/16 would become fully commercial or prioritised for further support in line with the council’s public transport policies.