The application to reopen Wellington’s Railway Station has been approved and is on track to progress to the next stage, Rail Minister, Chris Heaton Harris MP, has announced.

In a letter to Taunton Deane MP Rebecca Pow, Tiverton MP Neil Parish and other local stakeholders of the Devon and Metro Somerset Group, the Rail Minister confirmed that after evaluation by the Department for Transport, the joint application to open a Rail station in Wellington and Cullompton has progressed to the next stage.

There will now be additional work to complete to specify the details of the work, the funding required and promoters will be asked to work with the Department. 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.

MP for Taunton Deane Rebecca Pow said: “This announcement is really welcome, bringing the prospect of a rail station in Wellington a step closer to becoming a reality. 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. The announcement today 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. 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 CV19 crisis. I look forward to continuing to work on this much needed project.”