TWO South West councils are ready to put their joint case forward to the government for new railway stations on the line between Bristol and Exeter.

Somerset West and Taunton Council has been working with Mid Devon District Council on bids for new stations at Wellington and Cullompton.

Both stations were clsoed in 1964 as part of the Beeching Cuts, which saw rail networks across the UK dramatically scaled back.

Now the two councils are about to submit their formal business cases to the Department for Transport, which will decide whether to take them forward as part of the ‘Restoring Your Railway’ scheme.

SWT leader Cllr Federica Smith-Roberts updated her fellow councillors in a report published before a virtual full council meeting on Tuesday evening (March 30).

She said in her written report: “Working in collaboration with Mid Devon, the strategic outline business case is ready to be submitted for this scheme, which could fund up to 75 per cent of the £15 cost of a new station at Wellington.

“Although the outcome of our submission at this time is unknown, the findings of the outline business case showed strong benefits could be gained in terms of social and economy benefits.

“We have made provision for resources needed for the creation of the full business case and will take this project forward this year.”

Wellington’s original railway station was located at the northern edge of the town on the B3187 Milverton Road.

The council confirmed in October 2020 that any new station may be built in a different location, possibly near the ongoing Longforth Farm housing development, and that negotiations with landowners had “begun positively”.

The joint bid received a further boost in January, when it emerged Network Rail had cited the two locations as part of a national competition to design the new generation of UK railway stations.

Cllr Mike Rigby, portfolio holder for planning policy and transport,  added in a separate report to the full council: “Great progress has been made on reopening Wellington railway station.

“The group’s bid to the new stations fund will be submitted to the DfT in May following the production of the strategic outline business case.

“All indications are incredibly positive about prospects and the project remains one of our key strategic objectives.”

If approved, both new stations would be built on the mainline between Exeter St Davids and Bristol Temple Meads, which is currently served by both CrossCounty and Great Western Railway.

Mr Rigby previously stated that he hoped any new station would be constructed and operational by 2026.