City mayor says stalled railway project could be back on track

This story was written by the local democracy reporting service (LDRS), a BBC-funded scheme to improve the coverage of issues relating to local democracy. The Leicester Gazette has been a partner in the scheme since March 2024, and so receives some stories as part of it.

Because LDRS reporters are not employed by the Gazette, their stories do not follow our style guide or standards code****.****

                        Learn more
                    

Leicester’s city mayor says the long-delayed regeneration of the city’s railway station is now “very near” to getting back on track following months of uncertainty.

The multi-million-pound revamp was originally expected to be completed in 2024, but the scheme stalled after Leicester City Council failed to secure a contractor for the main construction works last year.

The plans include a new entrance on Station Street, a pedestrianised public square, improved accessibility, and a new food and retail area inside the station’s historic porte-cochère.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), the council’s leader Sir Peter Soulsby said the plans are now making progress.

He said: “It’s a complex project and an expensive one. After the initial issues about getting enough contractors interested in doing the work, there’s obviously been a need for people to regroup.

“The most important thing was getting agreement of all of the so-called stakeholders and, frankly, to have the money available to make sure that it’s capable of being delivered. There’s no point starting it and running out of money halfway through.

“And also to make sure of the extent to which there’s any extra burden, because obviously in quite a lot of times past, it falls upon the council to fill the gap.

“Now I think the stakeholders are very near to being able to announce that they have the package together to enable them to go out and find a contractor to do the work.

Join the conversation

Our app is more than just a way to keep up – it's a gateway to award-winning journalism and the local community.

Want to support our work? Click here for membership__.__

“I’m very much hoping that we’ll soon be able to make a fuller announcement confirming that we do have everybody’s sign-up, willingness to pay, and a timetable for actually getting the contractor appointed, getting on with the work and getting it completed.”

The redevelopment is being delivered through a partnership between Leicester City Council, the Department for Transport, Network Rail and East Midlands Railway, with the bulk of the roughly £20m cost coming from central government.

Despite concerns that delays could jeopardise the funding, which originally came with a March 2024 deadline, Sir Peter said the cash was still forthcoming.

He said: “I’m very grateful. The present government really has committed to continuing what was agreed by their predecessors. They’ve been very, very supportive of the scheme.

“It’s obviously important to us, as the gateway to the city, but it’s also important to them as part of the national network.”

While the main redevelopment remains on hold, the council is pressing ahead with a smaller “quick win” project on the site of the former Parcel Yard pub, next to the station.

The building at 48 London Road was demolished in 2024 to make way for the station’s new entrance, revealing part of the station’s original Victorian wall, which had been hidden for decades.

Sir Peter said the council now plans to tidy the area and restore the exposed historic façade to its “original beauty”.

The contract for those works has already been put out to tender.

Before you go… We've recently surpassed 1,000 subscribers, which is amazing considering we're a small team on a shoestring budget.

Now, we're ready for the next stage of the Leicester Gazette. Download our new app and get all of our journalism anytime, anywhere.

The app connects with Bluesky , Mastodon and Threads , giving you access to a network of around 60 million people. It's a safer, more meaningful alternative to mainstream social media – owned by the community.