MPs say rail plan 'needs to be brought back on track'

It's after the incoming Labour Government said it could not see how plans for Wellington and Cullompton stations could be funded

Gideon Amos, MP for Taunton and Wellington, and Richard Foord, MP for Honiton and Sidmouth, met with the Minister for Rail, Lord Peter Hendy,
Author: Andrew KayPublished 20th Sep 2024

MPs - across Devon and Somerset - say they're determined to get plans to reopen train stations back on track.

They want Wellington and Cullompton, which were closed in the 1960s, brought back into use to serve the Great Western Mainline from London Paddington to Penzance and sit either side of Tiverton Parkway station

In July the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said the project “will go ahead” - but then announcing a review the next day, Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh said: “Communities up and down the country have been given hope for new transport infrastructure, with no plans or funds to deliver them."

Gideon Amos, MP for Taunton and Wellington, and Richard Foord, MP for Honiton and Sidmouth, met with the Minister for Rail, Lord Peter Hendy, at his office to press the case for the Wellington and Cullompton Stations Project.

In a joint statement after the meeting, the two MPs said: “We presented a detailed and evidenced case for the project, based on the jobs, housing and growth which would come to the area as a result."

Campaigners say the station plans also means a new cycle route could link Wellington and Taunton

The MPs added: “In response, the Minister listened carefully and was encouraged with the progress made to date and with the initiative taken by the local councils who contributed all the initial funding to get the project off the ground in the first place.

“The Minister promised he would progress the current review of new station and railway projects urgently, and we will continue to push at the highest levels for the reopening of Wellington and Cullompton at every opportunity we get.

"Lord Hendy, formerly chair of Network Rail, told the meeting that the review of projects had been launched because the previous Conservative administration ran up unfunded promises to reopen railways which had created a ÂŁ2.9billion projected overspend in the Department for Transport alone in the current financial year.

“I am determined that we build the transport infrastructure to drive economic growth and opportunity in every part of the country and to deliver value for money for taxpayers.

“That ambition requires a fundamental reset to how we approach capital projects – with public trust, industry confidence and government integrity at its heart.”

Following today’s meeting Mr Amos added: “I’m determined we see the Wellington station project, first proposed in the House of Commons by my Lib Dem predecessor Jeremy Browne, successfully completed.

“Richard and I will now be working with our respective councils to maximise support for the project and the Minster has agreed to hear further representations from us on this before the review is complete.”

In 2022Network Rail was given ÂŁ5 million to move the project forwards, saying: "Once complete, Wellington and Cullompton will provide two additional stations that will serve the Great Western Mainline from London Paddington to Penzance and sit either side of Tiverton Parkway station. Both stations closed in 1964 and both towns have grown in population since then and are the largest settlements unserved by a rail station between Exeter and Taunton."

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