COMMUTERS, councillors and a brass band were among those who turned out for the official opening of Bromsgrove Railway Station on Friday.

The new station, which cost £24 million to develop, opened to passengers July 12.

Rail users have since benefitted from a staffed ticket office, a waiting room, toilets and 350 onsite car parking spaces.

On Friday, September 2, guests braved the rain to mark the station's official opening, where Bromsgrove MP Sajid Javid unveiled a special plaque to mark the occasion.

Mr Javid said: "Since I was first elected in Bromsgrove six years ago, residents have expressed their interest for an improved train station. The £24 million investment in the station has made it more accessible with better facilities, opening further windows of opportunity. Not only will residents benefit from this improved service, it's also great news for our local economy which can continue to fuel the Midlands engine."

Bromsgrove Town Crier Kevin Ward opened the ceremony, and Blackwell Concert Band entertained visitors with a compilation of classic songs.

Speeches were also given by Cllr Richard Worrall, chair of the WMCA’s Transport Delivery Committee, Mike Ponsonby, the chairman of BRUG, Network Rail’s senior sponsor Richard Dugdale and Cllr Ken Pollock, Worcestershire County Council’s cabinet member for economy, skills and infrastructure.

Cllr Pollock said: "The station has been open for just over seven weeks now and it's great to see the new facilities being so well-used. We are significantly investing in a number of major transport schemes across the county. This funding will ensure we have good transport links to and through Worcestershire, which we recognise are vital for stimulating economic growth for existing businesses and attracting new businesses into our county."

The station now has the capacity to handle 800,000 passengers a year, and has longer platforms to allow additional rail services to stop at Bromsgrove in the future.

Further railway construction works are scheduled this year to allow the line to be electrified. Once complete, there will be four trains per hour between Bromsgrove and Birmingham.