Funding bid for Somerset Heritage Railway link rejected
Rachel Gilmour, the Liberal Democrat MP for Tiverton and Minehead, raised the issue with Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander in the House of Commons on 15 May.She said people in Tiverton and Minehead face "many challenges when it comes to transport connectivity" and that the railway connection would allow students to access the sixth form facilities in Taunton and boost tourism. Ms Alexander said the department "does not currently have any plans to take forward a development link between Bishop's Lydeard and Taunton".A spokesperson for Somerset Council said: "We are disappointed this link is not being considered, having worked closely with WSR on the business case."We look forward to the DfT reaching out to discuss this further and will continue to lobby for better regional transport connections with our partner authorities in the Peninsula Transport sub-national transport body."
This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.
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