Joint bid for £7m Magor and Undy rail station

Trains would serve Cardiff, Newport, Bristol, Chepstow, Gloucester and Cheltenham

A campaign to restore rail travel to a community in Monmouthshire has taken another step forward.

A funding application has been submitted to the Department for Transport to build a new £7m railway station for Magor and Undy.

It would be on the south Wales mainline.

Two stations serving the villages closed in 1965 when the areas' population was 500. It is now expected to rise to 10,000 in the next 10 years.

The application - for one new station - has been made by Monmouthshire council and the Magor Action Group on Rail.

It asks for £5.2m of funding, with the rest of the money anticipated to come from the Welsh Government.

The station would have 150m (492ft) platforms on the outside of the current relief tracks and there are recommendations for an adjoining community centre.

Monmouthshire council leader Peter Fox said: "The return of railway travel for Magor and Undy after many years will be welcomed by the community.

"It will bring employment, retail, healthcare, education and leisure opportunities closer for residents and reduce traffic growth on congested local roads."