Councillors have backed a scheme to install a £200,000 temporary railway station to serve Borehamwood and Elstree.

Railtrack hopes to replace the station's current makeshift buildings with a new temporary structure by Easter.

A company spokeswoman said that because Railtrack had signed a contract to install the new structure before it was brought into administration last month, the scheme's funding had been secured.

If the contracts had not been signed, commuters could have been stuck with the old station indefinitely.

The new station will be installed next to the existing buildings, which passengers will carry on using until the replacement is ready to open. There are no plans to demolish the old buildings.

The spokeswoman said the new station would be far better than the current facility: "It will cost in excess of £200,000, and it is going to be a completely different building."

But Roger Keyworth, of the Commuters Association, said he would prefer to see the money spent on improving the existing station.

He said it would cause a great deal of inconvenience to install a new station, as new drainage ditches would have to be dug.

"There is a lot that could be done for less money to improve the current station," he said.

Owen Parry, the chairman of Hertfordshire disabled group DRUM, said the new station would make no difference to disabled passengers, as it would not provide access for people in wheelchairs.

Hertsmere Borough Council's new leader, Neil Payne, joined Elstree councillors Derrick Gunasekera and Morris Bright on Thursday for a meeting with Railtrack's project manager, David Hill.

While the councillors were disappointed that a new permanent station would not be built, they agreed that the new station was the best solution the troubled company could offer, and decided to support it.

Mr Bright said he had been alarmed to learn that the temporary station was designed to last for up to 25 years, and said he would seek assurances from the company that it would be replaced with a permanent structure before then.

October 25, 2001 10:37

CHARLES WHITNEY