Wellington’s hoped for train station became a near-certainty after yesterday’s Budget. Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced £5 million of development money specifically to fund re-opening the stations in Wellington and Cullompton.
A senior figure at Somerset West and Taunton council said;” This is brilliant news and pretty much guarantees that the project will go ahead.” Until now the council has been having fund much of the research and development work required by the Department for Transport itself.
Sunak said that Government will continue “to spend £500 million to restore transport services lost in the Beeching cuts of the 1960s and improve local connectivity” Plans are already well advanced to site a new town station on land to the north of the Longforth Farm estate.
Whitehall money will also be spent developing proposals to reinstate passenger services between Totton and Fawley in Hampshire and developing “thirteen early-stage proposals to restore rail connections across England and Wales”.
The Treasury document says: “These investments will help reconnect local communities and support regional growth.”