David Warburton, the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Somerton and Frome invited Stephen Hammond MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, to Langport as part of his campaign to revive local railway stations at Langport and Somerton.
Thousands of local stations across Britain were closed in the 1960s including Somerton and Langport East, leaving a gap of more than 28 miles between Taunton and Castle Cary - the longest section of railway without a station from London to Penzance.
Since David Warburton launched the initiative last October, the campaign to re-open Somerset’s local railways has gathered a groundswell of support, both from local residents and senior government ministers. The Rt Hon Lord Hill of Oareford OBE joined the initial campaign launch, and a subsequent survey across Somerton revealed overwhelming support for the scheme from hundreds of local residents. In January, David took the survey results to the Transport Secretary, Patrick McLoughlin MP, who encouraged campaigners to apply for a grant from the government’s £20m New Stations Fund.
Today, Stephen Hammond MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, added his support to the scheme. He met local campaigners in Langport, visited the old station site at Eastover, and discussed the proposal with many local residents and campaigners, including Pedro Aparicio, chairman of the Langport Area Business Group, and Transmission for Langport Group’s Cara Naden, Christopher Maltin and Philip Edge. Following the residents’ survey in Somerton, a survey will now be carried out In Langport, to gauge the level of local support for the campaign.
David commented, “It was great to have Stephen Hammond’s advice and backing for this crucial project for our area. Re-opening the stations at Langport and Somerton would be hugely beneficial for the area; for business, for commuters, for retail, for our communities, for families and of course tourism. The area would also see a massive reduction in traffic congestion and emissions - it’s really a win-win situation for all.”
Connecting to the existing stopping service from Bristol to Castle Cary would allow a two-hourly two carriage service to run in each direction in a circle covering Bristol-Bath-Westbury-Castle Cary-Somerton-Langport-Taunton-Bridgwater-Bristol. The new network would establish access to the main rail network at Taunton or Castle Cary, and allow rail commuters a straightforward route to Bath, Bristol or Taunton and residents to quickly and easily access shops and services in these nearby cities.