New Wellington railway station worth £15m could open by 2025

A new housing development would provide the access road to the new railway station

Efforts to build a new railway station could soon move a step closer - if plans for 220 new homes are approved.

Somerset West and Taunton Council and Mid Devon District Council put together plans to reopen Wellington and Cullompton railway stations

Both closed during the infamous Beeching cuts of the mid-1960s.

The final business case for Wellington is being assembled by Network Rail ahead of a decision by the Department for Transport (DfT).

Plans have now been submitted to Somerset Council for a major new housing development in Wellington which would provide the access road to the new railway station.

The new railway station is expected to cost £15m (funded entirely by the DfT), with councillors and rail experts believing that services could start calling there from May 2025, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

David Northey, a retired strategic planner with Network Rail, said at a public meeting held in May, that the station would initially be served by trains every two hours as part of the Great Western Railway service between Exeter St. David's and Cardiff Central.

However, he said this likely increase to once per hour as demand grows.

The new stations would be served by trains on the GWR line from Exeter to Cardiff

He said: "Your town becomes visible across the UK, and that's not just a plus for people in Wellington wanting to catch a train."

Somerset West and Taunton Council has pledged as part of its Wellington Place Plan that it would "review potential for a park and ride scheme" near junction 26 of the M5, which could provide a vital link between the motorway, the railway station and the town centre.

A final decision on the housing proposals is expected to be taken by the end of the year.