THE MP for Taunton Deane has said she is “thrilled” with the “fresh progress” toward making Wellington’s new train station a reality.

It comes as the draft business case for the station was undergoing final checks before being submitted to the government.

The planning application for Longforth Farm is understood to be going before the council’s planning committee on May 1.

Commenting on what she characterised as “genuine progress”, Ms Pow said: “I’m thrilled that progress continues to be made on a rail station for Wellington as I know it will be an absolute game-changer for local people and businesses across our area through improved connectivity.

“I’m also delighted that at Prime Minister’s Questions recently, Rishi Sunak re-confirmed the Government’s clear support for our project stating that funds from the now reduced HS2 scheme are being re-directed to schemes like the Wellington Station. This kind of investment is much needed in the South West and I am an delighted to have the Prime Ministers’ direct support for our scheme. 

“Genuine progress is underway with the full business case nearly ready to be submitted to the DfT. I have recently given the Secretary of State for Transport an update and look forward to him visiting the site soon. 

“This has been a project which I have been pleased to spearhead for the past seven years and it is good to see it moving closer to fruition. My ongoing thanks to everyone involved in our team locally for their hard and dedicated work in progressing this project for the benefit of my constituents and Somerset more widely.”

The news comes after Wellington’s mayor, Cllr Marcus Barr, expressed his hope that construction work could begin on the site as early as this summer, with passengers boarding trains from the town as soon as September 2025.

The station was given the official green light by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the Conservative party conference in October last year, where he said the new station would be part of a package which would deliver on his mission to 'give Britain the infrastructure it needs.'

If the station reaches completion, it would be the first time the town of Wellington had its own train station since it was closed by the Beeching Cuts in 1964.

In his October comments, the Prime Minister announced the scrapping of the HS2 rail line, a decision which he said would free up funds to be spent on a number of smaller projects across the regions of the UK, including the Wellington train station.

Ms Pow has been campaigning for the town’s railway station since her 2015 bid for parliament. Ms Pow's campaign for the station was applauded by the Government's Transport Minister, Huw Merriman. Commenting, he said: "I’d like to pay tribute to Taunton Deane MP Rebecca Pow for her tenacity and efforts to secure the new station, including engaging with local people in the town. Somerset’s railway network is expanding under this Conservative government, creating jobs and opportunities across the county.”