A £5.7M contract to redevelop the Didcot Parkway railway station forecourt is going out to tender — and the station could get a new name.

More than three million passengers a year use the station and the new scheme is designed to make the busy interchange easier to use for commuters and other passengers.

It was feared the scheme could be a victim of Government spending cuts, but council leaders have confirmed it will go ahead.

Work on revamping the station forecourt, which is being funded by Oxfordshire County Council and South Oxfordshire District Council, is expected to start in March and last up to 18 months.

Didcot development project manager Kevin Clark, who works for South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “It’s good news that this project is now moving forward.

“When the work is completed, there will be a much better environment for commuters and other people arriving at the station.

“We are now lobbying Network Rail to change the station’s name from Didcot Parkway to Didcot because we think the word Parkway gives people the wrong impression that the station is quite a way out of the town centre.

“It doesn’t take ten minutes to get to the shops and we want to encourage people arriving at the station to visit the town.

“It would be a good time to put up new signage when the work is being carried out.”

Station manager Kim Higgs said he was delighted work would soon start on the project.

He said: “We want to ensure that Didcot Parkway does not fall behind Oxford and Reading when it comes to improvements that are being introduced.

“I have been battling for this for the past two years, so it will be more than welcome when it does arrive.

“There will be better parking, better cycle storage, better pedestrian access, a new taxi rank, and a new layout for buses at the front of the station.

“I hope there will be minimal disruption for passengers while the work is being done.

“This will be a massive improvement for Didcot and it is one of the most exciting projects to take place in the town for a long time.”

County council spokesman Owen Morton said the revamp would give improved access for buses, taxis, cars, pedestrians and cyclists.

He said: “The aim is to create a more versatile, sustainable and user-friendly layout which reduces ‘conflict’ between the various modes of transport accessing the site by reorganising the available space.

“The scheme is also part of the council’s commitment to improving access to Science Vale — Didcot, Wantage, Grove and Harwell.

“Funding for this scheme was released, along with other key projects, from the county council’s capital programme review in July.

“The tendering process to select a main contractor is now under way and the aim is to appoint a contractor later this year.

“Construction work is due to begin in early 2011 and is expected to take about 18 months to complete.”

The redesigned forecourt will include more bus stopping facilities, a larger taxi rank, new pedestrian space and wide walkways, a dedicated drop-off and pick-up area, short-stay waiting bays, disabled parking, and covered cycle and motorcycle parking areas.

Mr Clark said the county council was providing about £4m of the cost and the district council the rest.