New Somerset railway station could get hourly rail services to Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter

Wellington could end up with hourly rail services to Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter if demand for the new railway station proves sufficient.

Somerset West and Taunton Council and Mid Devon District Council put together plans to reopen Wellington and Cullompton railway stations, which both closed during the infamous Beeching cuts of the mid-1960s. The final business case for the new Wellington station, due to be constructed a stone’s throw from the Nynehead boat lift, is currently being assembled by Network Rail (which is now leading the project) ahead of a formal decision by the Department for Transport (DfT).

But local councillors, MPs and industry experts have expressed their confidence that the £15m station could still be up and running by May 2025. Nearly 100 people gathered at Wellington Baptist Church on South Street on Thursday evening (May 18) to hear councillors and other speakers provide updates on the project.

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The meeting was organised by the Wellington Liberal Democrats, but was not-party political in flavour, being chaired by Wellington deputy mayor Nancy Powell-Brace. Councillor Mike Rigby, Somerset Council’s portfolio holder for transport and digital, said that he was expecting two planning applications for the project to be submitted “within months”, with the council to make decisions on each before the end of the year.

West of England Developments (Taunton) Ltd. carried out a public consultation in August 2022 on plans for up to 220 new homes, a care home and commercial space off Nynehead Road, with the existing access road to the new Lidl supermarket being extended to the proposed railway station site. The developer intends to provide new car parking near the station ride, with a new park being provided south of the station and pedestrian and cycling links being provided from Lillebonne Way and Taunton Road.

To improve road safety, Nynehead Road would be separated from the station access road through a new T-junction, allowing safe access to the Cadeside Caravan and Motorhome Club. Mr Rigby also revealed that it was likely the Department for Transport (DfT) would fund the entirety of the £15m build cost of the new station.

He said: “Within 24 months, I hope very much to see some of you on the platform for the first train to stop at Wellington for 60 years.” David Northey, a retired strategic planner with Network Rail, said that the station would initially be served by trains every two hours as part of the Great Western Railway (GWR) service between Exeter St. David’s and Cardiff Central.

However, he said this likely increase to once per hour as demand grew, citing the success of the recently-reopened Okehempton station on the northern edge of the Dartmoor national park. The station reopened to national rail services in November 2021, with two-hourly services to and from Exeter, but these were increased to hourly services in May 2022, with more than 250,000 passenger journeys being made in the first year.

On the back of this success, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) approved a £13.4m levelling up fund bid by West Devon Borough Council, which will fund the construction of a new Okehampton Parkway station on the same Dartmoor line near the crucial A30. Mr Northey said: “Your town becomes visible across the UK, and that’s not just a plus for people in Wellington wanting to catch a train.

“Connectivity to the station is really key to success, whether it’s by foot, bike, car or bus. There will definitely be direct pedestrian access to the town centre.”

In Okehampton, the bus companies were persuaded to re-route services to stop at the new station – a move which resulted in a 45 per cent increase in passenger numbers in the first 12 months alone. Somerset Council pledged as part of its Wellington Place Plan that it would “review potential for a park and ride scheme” near junction 26 of the M5, providing sustainable transport to and from the town centre.

Mr Rigby said that he and the rest of the Lib Dem administration at County Hall were committed to reversing “the long-term neglect of public transport”. The £2 bus fare cap – which the DfT has now extended to October – has led to a 15 per cent increase in passenger numbers since its introduction in Somerset.

Gideon Amos, the Lib Dem’s candidate for the new Taunton seat at the next general election (which includes Wellington), said the new station would lead to “just over 90 tonnes of carbon” being saved over a two-year period, compared to relying on the existing road network. Richard Foord MP (whose Tiverton and Honiton constituency includes Cullompton) added: “You can absolutely trust the Lib Dems to champion the new station for Wellington.

“Climate, environment and transport are the core of what we believe in.”

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