THE project to rebuild and reopen Broadway railway station is steaming ahead after the parish council gave the next stage of development its seal of approval.

Members of the village’s planning committee voted in support of the plans to build a signal box, waiting room and main station building at the site.

The application will now be considered by Wychavon District Council, which will make the final decision.

The development of the site, off Station Road, began in 2011 and volunteers belonging to the Broadway Area Group have since being busy raising the necessary funds to finance the project and building two platforms.

Bill Britton, chairman of the group, said they were anxiously waiting for approval of the next major step.

He said: “We were pleased to have the support of the parish council. We are on tenterhooks now waiting for the public consultation to finish and then we wait about two to three weeks to find out the decision from Wychavon.

“There is a good deal of optimism but also uncertainty. On the happy day we do get approval our plan is to start building the signal box straight away.

“We will have to step up the fund-raising for the other two major buildings. The main station building is the primary one and will need a significant investment, which we are looking for.”

Aside from the funds needed to complete the buildings at the station, the line needs to be reconnected to the local railway network, which involves repairing a number of bridges, costing about £500,000.

Mr Britton hopes both projects will be completed in time to open the station in 2016.

“With the landslides on the railways I think it will be 2016 now when we hope to be up and running,” he said. “Hopefully I will be here to see it re-open.”

Broadway station originally opened in the early 1900s but was closed to passengers in the 1960s, meaning it has been out of action for almost half a century.

To back the project, visit steam ingtobroadway@yahoo.co.uk.