Somerset: Plans for new railway station on Levels

The station would be on the main line connecting the South West with London Paddington

Plans for a new railway station have moved forward after councillors agreed to help fund a feasibility study.

The stations at Somerton and Langport on the Somerset Levels were closed in the Beeching cuts during the 1960s.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak mentioned the towns in his 2020 spending review and said the government could contribute up to £50,000 towards the study.

South Somerset District Council has since pledged a further £6,000.

In a report to the council, locality officer Adrian Moore, said: "This proposal is to seek our support for the reinstatement of a railway station to serve the towns of Langport and Somerton on the existing dual-track Great Western Line between London Paddington and the South West."

He said the feasibility study would look into which train companies would use the station, and assess passenger demand, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Richard Beeching's 1963 report 'The Reshaping of British Railways' saw many rail lines and stations closed

The study, to be carried out by the Langport Transport Group (LTG) will identify possible sites, which may include a parkway-style station between the towns, possibly on the site of the former Long Sutton and Pitney station.

Once the study has been completed, a strategic outline business case for the chosen site will be put together and submitted to the Department for Transport (DfT) for approval.

The feasibility study and business case for the new station is expected to cost £66,500 - of which £45,000 has been secured from the DfT's Restoring Your Railway fund.

Up to £15,000 will come from town and parish councils in the area, with the remainder being provided by the district council and a small amount from campaigners.

LTG said it hoped to start the study in June.

It is not the only part of Somerset where stations closed by Beeching could reopen.

In May, Somerset West and Taunton Council submitted a joint bid with Mid Devon District Council to reopen stations at Wellington and Cullompton.