A proposed rail bridge, which is part of a vital ‘levelling up’ scheme to help one of the most economically disadvantaged areas of the UK, will cost almost £5m more than originally estimated.

The lift bridge at Par railway station – one of the flagship elements of the £57-m Mid Cornwall Metro (MCM) project – will only go ahead if the rail industry helps plug a £2.2m funding hole.

The bridge was originally estimated to cost £3.7m, according to Network Rail in 2022. A review undertaken in September 2024 reported that the bridge costs were estimated to exceed the original budget allocation.

It has now been revealed that the actual cost of delivering the bridge will be £8.3m, from the design stage to completion, with Cornwall Council hoping it will be built by the end of 2027.

The works will include the installation of a new footbridge with two lifts connecting platforms 1 and 2/3 at Par station, alteration of the car park to accommodate the footbridge and lifts, and demolition of the existing footbridge.

A council report has stated: “The Par lift bridge scheme proposal would be a significant contribution to ‘levelling up’ one of the most economically disadvantaged areas of the UK. It will ensure that travelling to and from Newquay is fully accessible when connecting with trains at Par and would support modal shift away from car use providing decarbonisation and public health benefits.”

The £8.3-m figure includes Levelling Up funding, which has already been agreed. However, there is a currently a funding gap of £2.2-m. The council hopes that the majority of that money will come from Network Rail and GWR, though that has yet to be secured.

Cornwall Council strategic director Phil Mason said at a recent council meeting: “We are flagging here that we can’t fund the whole of that £2.2-m gap and this decision requires the rail industry to bring that money forward. That is a gateway we’d have to get through before we would enter into contract for this project to be delivered.”

Should the rail industry fail to secure the additional funding required to deliver the bridge, then the implementation agreement would not continue and the bridge would have to be funded outside the Mid Cornwall Metro scheme.

The council’s cabinet member for transport Cllr Dan Rogerson said: “At the time of the bids submission there was a long-held aspiration to deliver an accessible pedestrian lift bridge at Par station given the fundamental role that Par plays in connecting the main line rail services to the Newquay branch line.

“Users of that service have told us how important this is to them, including how the lack of an accessible bridge meant for some they were unable to use the rail service.

“This has been made clear to us through the numerous public engagement events we’ve held in Newquay, Roche and Bugle.”

He added that improvements to the Newquay branch line will enable services to double in frequency to an hourly service, providing a direct service between the north and south coasts via Truro and St Austell without the need to change services.

That hourly service will be delivered in spring this year, with phase two – travel through to Falmouth – following in the next 12 months.

Improvements delivered so far include a passing loop on Goss Moor, a second platform and track reinstated at Newquay station, ticket validators at all stations east of Par and new train signalling on the branch line.

At the Individual Decision Day meeting, Cllr Rogerson signed off a recommendation that approves Cornwall Council entering into an implementation agreement with Network Rail to allow the progression of the Par lift bridge scheme subject to sufficient funds being made available.