Campaign for Progress on New Somerset Railway Station

Advocates for the establishment of a new train station in Somerton and Langport have urged for the progression of the project in the midst of uncertainty. During a recent Levelling Up debate in the House of Commons, Sarah Dyke, the MP for Somerton and Frome, pressed Jacob Young, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, for information on the matter.

In the 1960s, the towns of Langport and Somerton faced the closure of their train stations as a result of the infamous Beeching cuts. In a bid to rectify this, in February 2022, the Langport Transport Group, with the backing of key stakeholders such as Somerset Council, presented a Strategic Outline Case (SOC) to the Department for Transport.

The case advocated strongly for the necessity of a new station in the area and recommended the advancement of the scheme to the next phase. However, the Langport Transport Group has encountered a standstill in receiving an update on the proposal since July 2022.

Expressing her dismay, Ms Dyke stated, “I am disappointed that the levelling-up fund bid submitted by Somerset Council for the much-needed regeneration works in the rural market towns of Frome and Wincanton has not been successful. In the Somerton and Langport area, we have been without a train station since the 1960s. The Langport Transport Group’s joint proposal with Somerset Council has not received an update to their bid to the restoring your railway fund since July 2022. Will the Minister provide an update and support me to bring much-needed rail connections to the area?”

In response, Mr. Young clarified, “I am responsible for many things, but not the restoring your railway fund; I ask the hon. Lady to contact the Department for Transport for assurances on that. However, I assure her that across the Dorset and Somerset region, we have been able to fund five projects to the tune of £87 million.”