GWR will be only firm serving new rail station

SOMERSET’S newest railway station will not be served by CrossCountry services when it opens by the end of next year.

Somerset Council has been working with the Department for Transport (DfT) and Network Rail to restore rail services to Wellington, which lost its railway station in 1964 under the Beeching cuts.

The DfT announced last October a new station off Nynehead Road would be “funded to delivery” following Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s decision to cancel the HS2 rail link between Birmingham and Manchester.

CrossCountry, which operates services along the Bristol to Exeter mainline, which includes Wellington, announced this week that it would be rolling out new trains with additional seats on its long-distance routes by May 2025.

But the operator has confirmed that none of these new trains will call at Wellington, meaning the station will exclusively be served by trains operated by GWR.

Rail minister Huw Merriman, pictured, said: “More seats, services and refurbished trains will make for a better passenger experience, helping to relieve crowding.

“As well as benefiting those travelling with CrossCountry, this important investment in upgraded trains also builds on our record of supporting the rail supply chain.”

CrossCountry’s long-distance service from Penzance to Aberdeen, via Birmingham and Manchester, currently calls at only two Somerset railway stations – Taunton and Weston-superMare.

The new timetables for the route will come into effect in May next year, with CrossCountry aiming to add more than 12,000 seats per week across its entire network from June 2024.

Wellington’s new railway station is expected to be operational by September 2025, pending the approval of the final business case by the DfT.

But the operator said it had no plans for its improved services to call at either the new Wellington station or Bridgwater. Councillors have lobbied for the latter since mid2018.

David Northey, a retired strategic planner with Network Rail, indicated at an event last May that the station would initially be served by trains every two hours as part of the GWR service between Exeter St David’s and Cardiff Central.

However, he said this will likely increase to an hourly service as demand grows, citing the success of the recently reopened Okehempton station on the northern edge of the Dartmoor national park.