THE go-ahead for a new railway station for Wellington was confirmed this week after an anxious wait following Chancellor Rachel Reeves announcement in Parliament on the outcome of a Government spending review.

Ms Reeves did not make any mention of the £15 million Wellington project in her address to MPs but the Treasury later confirmed the news to the Wellington Weekly.

A Treasury spokesperson said simply: “The spending review also provides funding to support the reopening of a station at Wellington.

“Further details will be set out shortly.”

It follows 12 months of local campaigning after Ms Reeves scrapped the previous Conservative Government’s ‘Restoring Your Railways’ fund from which the Wellington station would have been financed.

The news was welcomed by Wellington Mayor Cllr Janet Lloyd, who said she was ‘absolutely over the moon’ to hear the news.

Cllr Lloyd said: “After so much work, local financial investment and lobbying efforts over several years, we now know that the railway station will be built.

Wellington MP Gideon Amos was delighted to hear a new Wellington Railway Station will be funded.
Wellington MP Gideon Amos was delighted to hear a new Wellington Railway Station will be funded. ( )

“Having a station for the town will bring economic benefits for the town and open up educational opportunities for our young people who will be able to access a far wider range of post-16 education provision than they are currently able to, from Plymouth through to Bristol.

“Having a railway station in Wellington will also help meet the Government’s objective of investing in Britain’s renewal.

“We look forward to seeing the detail of what has been agreed and to working with our partners in Somerset Council, Network Rail, and GWR to deliver the station.

“Huge thanks to all of those who have worked hard to deliver this project and lobbied on our behalf, in particular, most recently, MP Gideon Amos.

“This is truly fantastic news.”

Mr Amos said: “I am absolutely delighted.

“It is brilliant that all the hard work and campaigning by local residents standing side by side has finally paid off.

“There is no other rail project in the South West that is ready to go and could be built and completed in the next two years, as the project is so far advanced.

“In fact, had it not been for the review in July last year, the spades would now be in the ground and the platforms under construction, because the contract was about to be let and the detailed design was almost finished.”