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A long anticipated new train station in Reading has hit further delays.

The opening of the Green Park Station has been pushed back by up to six months, after the combination of the coronavirus pandemic and Brexit compounded leading to delays to the project.

Transport bosses in Reading had hoped the station would be open by the end of 2021, but have revised that date, despite construction work continuing throughout the pandemic.

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The station, which is near the Madejski Stadium, is now expected to be open to passengers sometime between April to June 2022, a Network Rail spokesman said.

Before the pandemic, the station had been scheduled to open in late 2020 but last October, Reading Borough Council’s transport chief said it would be delayed until late summer 2021 “at the earliest” due to the pandemic.

Councillor Tony Page, lead member for Environment, Planning and Transport, said it is his understanding that the construction will be finished later this year, in October or November.

He added: “The problem we have is there then a commissioning period involving the train companies and Network Rail. That can take months. I think it would be four to six months normally”.

The deputy council leader said the delays have been caused by a mix of the pandemic and Brexit, creating a “perfect storm”.

Green Park Station will be on the Reading to Basingstoke railway line, improving accessibility and connectivity to south Reading where a number of large-scale developments are taking place.