Government gives final green light to re-opening of Portishead rail line
The Department for Transport has announced a number of rail projects, including two new stations for Wellington and Cullompton, after campaigning by Liberal Democrat MPs and local groups.
The Transport Secretary and Swindon South MP, Heidi Alexander, has said the two West Country schemes will ease congestion, cut journey times and improve access to jobs and opportunities.
In February, the former West of England Mayor and now Independent MP, Dan Norris, said construction on the Portishead to Bristol line would begin this summer after an 'agreement' had been reached with government.
Mr Norris, who was suspended by Labour after being arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences, said the West of England Combined Authority, with North Somerset Council, would be putting £30m forward and had the go-ahead from government that it would fund the rest.
Then in June, the new WECA Mayor, Helen Godwin, told ITV's The West Country Debate that she was "hopeful" the government cash would be granted.
But only now has that been guaranteed, after Labour paused all big transport projects while it re-prioritised public finances and carried out a lengthy spending review.
Like hundreds of others across the country, the Portishead line was closed in 1964 during the Beeching cuts and its future has been the subject of fierce debate and uncertainty ever since.
Similarly, Liberal Democrat MPs Gideon Amos and Richard Foord have been spearheading a campaign in parliament to have two new train stations built in Wellington and Cullompton, after funding for the project was previously promised by the former Conservative government.
After the government's Spending Review, they said they were confident they had won the necessary cash to get 'spades in the ground', but now they officially have it.
"The Government is investing a further £27 million to reinstate passenger rail services between Portishead and Bristol City Centre," said the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves.
"The new hourly services will connect an additional 50,000 people to the rail network and support a significant new housing development," she added.
"Two new stations, Wellington and Cullompton, have been given the green light in the south west of England, unlocking significant new housing developments and providing more chances for people to access Exeter to visit loved ones and benefit from increased leisure, education and employment opportunities."
Sadik Al-Hassan, Labour's MP for North Somerset, said the campaign to secure the funding for the Portishead line had been a "labour of love" since being elected to parliament last year.
"For the first time, the project is actually fully-funded. For 25 years, its been that proverbial taxi coming around the corner that never quite gets there," he told ITV.
"I'm hoping I'll be able to buy a ticket in Portishead [in 2027], get off in Pill, get a quick selfie and then go back."
Mr Al-Hassan added: "It's not just about having this quicker commute, access to more jobs, more economic activity, it's also about a government and MP keeping their promises. People were fed up of a politics that said and didn't deliver.
"This government with the work of a Labour MP (...) and with the help of a Labour mayor, is actually going to have something physical to point at and say 'we did that'."
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