Mid Devon District Council is committed to re-open Cullompton Train Station as part of a wider project to improve train services in the subregion. This includes restoring rail access at Cullompton and Wellington stations. Enhancement of rail services along the Bristol – Exeter corridor, including the reopening of new stations, is an important part of the multimodal approach to meeting the travel needs of the region.
In 2019, Mid Devon District Council and Somerset West and Taunton Council became the Project Sponsors, working in partnership to develop the business case for re-opening both stations.
https://www.middevon.gov.uk/cullompton-and-wellington-railway-stations/
In addition to the two district councils the key partners include:
- Devon County Council
- Somerset County Council
- Network Rail
- Great Western Railway
- Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership
- Cullompton Town Council
- Wellington Town Council
- Neil Parish (MP for Tiverton and Honiton)
- Rebecca Pow (MP for Taunton Deane)
How will a station benefit Cullompton and Mid Devon?
The ambition is to provide sustainable transport options for residents in our communities. The District Council is keen to reduce carbon emissions, congestion and air quality in Cullompton as well as cutting residents commuting times. It is believed this project will help alleviate these issues. In addition to improving rail accessibility to the key centres of Exeter and Taunton it will also open up economic opportunities for Cullompton.
To support this vision work has been undertaken by the partnership to assess the scope for re-opening stations at Wellington and Cullompton. This has included consideration of the likely patronage from the stations, the options for providing train services to them, and the technical feasibility of providing stations for the two towns.
Next steps
In May 2020, the partnership was successful in securing funding of up to £50k from the Department for Transport’s “Restoring your Railway” Ideas Fund. This funding was used to support the development of the Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC).
A step closer to new train stations at Cullompton and Wellington
The Devon and Somerset Metro Board reached an important milestone last week, submitting a Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) to the Department for Transport to reopen stations at Cullompton and Wellington. This is a crucial step forward in the process of implementing improvements to the rail network including the provision of these new stations. This milestone is underpinned by months of hard work, research and partnership building to develop the case for the proposed new train stations at Cullompton and Wellington by the Steering Group and WSP Consulting.
Both stations closed in 1964 with the loss of a stopping train service, however both towns have grown in population since then and are the largest settlements between Exeter and Taunton.
https://www.middevon.gov.uk/cullompton-and-wellington-railway-stations/
