'Millions wasted' if new rail station does not open

Millions of pounds will be wasted if plans to open a new railway station are cancelled, an MP has claimed.

Proposals to build Wellington station in Somerset were paused last year by the government.

Gideon Amos, the Liberal Democrat MP for Taunton and Wellington, said land has already been bought, meaning axing the project could end up costing the taxpayer. He will lead a delegation from the town to meet Lord Peter Hendy, the rail minister, later.

"Millions of pounds has gone into it already, including land contributed... the access road has been contributed," Mr Amos said.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said the authority is "committed to delivering transport infrastructure that will boost growth and opportunity across the whole country".

"The government inherited an extremely challenging financial position, and these projects will be subject to the upcoming Spending Review," they added.

Mr Amos told BBC Radio Somerset that the addition of a station would bring a financial benefit to the town, believing it has the highest cost-benefit of any station reopening project in the country.

He added that all of the millions of pounds already sunk into the project will be wasted if the station is now axed.

Town councillor Keith Wheatley, who is part of the delegation, said the main benefit of a station would be taking pressure off local roads for commuters.

"Wellington is becoming a town full of new housing, and a lot of the people living there commute to jobs in Bristol or Exeter, so there's congestion on the M5 - they don't really have an alternative," he said.

Mr Wheatley added there would also be aspirational benefits, allowing more young people to travel to nearby universities without the expense of renting accommodation.

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