A BID to reopen the railway station in Wellington has been given the go ahead, the Government has announced.

MP Chris Heaton Harris, rail minister, confirmed that the Devon and Metro Somerset Group's application to try and reopen stations in Wellington and Cullompton had been approved.

The group will now have to carry out additional work to specify the details of the work, the funding required, and promoters will be asked to work with the Department for Transport.

Rebecca Pow, MP for Taunton Deane, said: “This announcement is really welcome, bringing the prospect of a rail station in Wellington a step closer to becoming a reality.

"The announcement that our application has been approved and will progress to the next stage is tremendous news and follows a great deal of work put in by-the stakeholder group, including Somerset West and Taunton Council and Mid Devon District Council."

The bid is one of 10 projects to be given backing by the Ideas Fund, part of the Government's 'Restoring Your Railway' scheme.

The Department for Transport will fund 75 per cent of costs, up to £50,000, of successful proposals to help fund transport and economic studies and create a business case.

Future funding to develop projects would be subject to agreement of the business case.

The bids that have been successful in this first round of the Ideas Fund are:

  • reopening of Wellington and Cullompton stations
  • reopening Meir Railway Station between Stoke-On-Trent and North Staffordshire
  • reinstatement of the Barrow Hill line between Sheffield and Chesterfield
  • reinstatement of the Ivanhoe line
  • reinstatement of branch lines on the Isle of Wight
  • reinstatement of the Abbey line between St Albans Abbey and Watford Junction
  • reinstatement of the Bury-Heywood-Rochdale lines
  • reinstatement of the Clitheroe to Hellifield railway line
  • reinstatement of rail access to Devizes via a new station at Lydeway
  • reintroduction of passenger rail services on the Waterside line

Wellington's application success was confirmed in a letter to Taunton Deane MP Rebecca Pow, Tiverton MP Neil Parish, and other local stakeholders.

MP Rebecca Pow said: “Since being elected in 2015, I have been working in partnership with local stakeholders to improve transport links across Taunton Deane, and a station in Wellington is a cornerstone of this endeavor.

"A station in Wellington will improve access across the region, reduce congestion, connect communities and open up job opportunities which will be more important than ever as we come out of the Covid-19 crisis. I look forward to continuing to work on this much needed project.”

The Rail Minister has asked his team to work with officials from Somerset West and Taunton County Council and Mid-Devon District Council in the coming weeks to agree potential research remits and appropriate joint governance and timescales.