Gideon Amos wants station project back on track

Local MP Gideon Amos again stressed the case for the Wellington and Cullompton stations reopening project in Parliament.
His comments came in a debate on public transport and followed two meetings with the Rail Minister, Lord Hendy.
The provision of the stations is under threat after the Labour government announced it was scrapping the Restoring Your Railways scheme.
Mr Amos told the Commons on Thursday that, because it involved two stations, it had the best benefit-cost ratio of any railway station reopening project in the country.
“On that ground alone, the project should qualify for funding, and it would bring £3.3 million of benefit to the local economy.
“After all, growth is vital to the whole country, and reopening Wellington Station would unlock thousands of homes.
“We have a town council that wants Wellington to thrive and grow.”
Mr Amos said he had been assured by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the financial statement debate that the station would go ahead.
But he added: “We are still waiting to hear why the most financially beneficial station reopening project in the country has not yet got the go-ahead.
“I am very grateful to Lord Hendy, the Minister for Rail, for the two meetings we have had.
“I know that the Government are supportive and sympathetic, but we need this project to get back on track – I’m sorry, but it’s impossible to avoid railway puns in this debate. The station is so ready to be built.
“We have a lot of third-party funding coming in. The access road and the car park are funded by a third-party developer.
“Cullompton, in the neighbouring constituency, is putting in similar third-party funding. We urgently need that project to go ahead.”
Mr Amos said Somerset wanted to secure the economic growth the county needed, “but we have lost £2 billion-worth of transport projects over the past few months.
“The A303 and the A358 have been cancelled.
“We desperately need a bypass for the villages of Thornfalcon and Henlade, which that A358 project would have completed.
“With all these projects being taken away, surely it is time that we received the funding for the new stations project at Wellington and Cullompton, with all its excellent economic growth impacts.”
Later in the debate, he rose again to ask that the new Secretary of State for Transport be requested to progress station projects.
Simon Lightwood, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport), replied: “I thank the honourable member for Taunton and Wellington, Gideon Amos.
“I am sure the Secretary of State will have heard his comments.”