Aston Villa have hoped for improvements to be made to Witton train station for some time, and those wheels are now finally in motion
Nassef Sawiris
Nassef Sawiris(Image: Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Aston Villa co-owner Nassef Sawiris has welcomed the funding which has been secured by West Midlands Council to upgrade nearby Witton train station. It was confirmed this week that the Government had made £2.4bn available in order to build and improve various transport links around the region.
Money has been committed to increasing the accessibility and improving the customer experience of Witton station, which has been a well publicised issue and has been on Villa's agenda for some time.
It comes at a time when Villa have unfurled plans to expand their home, increasing the capacity in the years to come which will, in turn, place greater emphasis and dependence on the local transport links, which aren't currently fit for the purpose which the club have planned in the long run.
It is also timely as the 3,000-capacity Warehouse, built on the Villa Park site and adjacent to the North Stand - itself set for a major revamp - is also set to be completed before Christmas of this year.
“We are delighted that the much-needed funding has now been committed. Improving Witton Station is a critical aspect of our wider endeavour to improve the matchday experience for all fans visiting Villa Park," Sawiris said.
"We are also excited to continue progressing our North Stand extension and to completing the works to the wider Villa Park campus alongside helping to implement the works plan for Witton Station for the benefit of Aston and the surrounding areas.”
Richard Parker, West Midlands Mayor, added: “I promised to secure the funding for Witton Station and this new investment means we can deliver improvements to the station for both Aston Villa and the wider community. We're now working with partners to ensure we have a delivery plan to implement the changes needed ahead of the Euros in 2028.”
Villa added in their statement of their plans: "This entire project is underpinned by significant improvements needing to be made to Witton Station, one of the major public transport arteries around Villa Park - improvements that will now be funded."
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