From the
South Devon Herald Express:
^1m revamp of steam railway station is put back for a year
A ^1 million development at the headquarters of a Torbay steam railway company has been postponed for a year.
The work by the Dartmouth Steam Railway and River Boat Company ^ formerly known as the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway and Riverlink ^ was due to start at the Queens Park Station in Paignton on November 1.
The company now says redevelopment of the railway station has been put back 12 months to provide enough time for preparation works to be carried out over the winter closed season.
The decision comes a week after former company cashier and booking clerk Tracey Spilsbury 47, of Paignton, was jailed for a year for stealing almost ^46,000 to feed a gambling habit.
However company manager Andrew Pooley said: "The court case had absolutely nothing to do with our decision. Unforeseen technical challenges have led to this late decision and I felt it was too risky to proceed with the full redevelopment this year."
"Our demolition contractor needed another three weeks to do his part of the work and that would have meant a three-week over-run. The risks of delay on restarting would have cost us ^20,000 a week and that was something I was not prepared to do."
He says the postponement will ensure the completion in April 2012 for the full development is met.
"In the meantime we will be upgrading some of the facilities at Paignton," he added. "It also gives us more time to investigate renewable energy sources, in line with the new government guidelines."
He said the company will work on drainage of the site and removal of the canopy while seeking approval from Network Rail for some aspects of the project.
The work would have seen the whole station building stripped down to its steel skeleton for new cladding to be fitted, with a new raised roof and the whole building will be lengthened.
The company, which employs 100 full-time and part-time staff, says the cost of ^1 million will come from its own resources, not outside investors or banks.
Trains, which take passengers the seven miles along the South Devon coast into the Dart Valley with stations at Goodrington Sands, Churston and Kingswear, have stopped running until March except for Santa specials in December.
River trips, between Dartmouth and Totnes, run three days a week until March.
