Media centre

Tuesday 8 Jul 2025

Key rail projects in the west given the green light

Region & Route:

Wales & Western: Western

| Wales & Western

• The Government has announced that two key rail projects in the west have been given the green light following last month’s Spending Review.
• The rail line between Bristol city centre and Portishead – which was last used six decades ago – will be reinstated, delivering two new stations at Pill and Portishead and bringing thousands of people closer to the railway and the economic opportunities it provides.
• Two new stations will be built at Wellington in Somerset and Cullompton in Devon, improving transport links to Exeter and beyond and unlocking significant new housing developments.

Two key rail projects in the west have been given the green light today (8 July) by the Government, following June’s Spending Review announcement. Commuters between Portishead and Bristol are a step closer to benefitting from a new rail link as the project to reinstate the disused railway receives investment, and two new stations at Wellington and Cullompton will be built, improving transport links in Somerset and Devon.

Portishead line

The Government is investing a further £27 million to reinstate passenger rail services between Portishead and Bristol city centre. Once complete, the new passenger service will connect 50,000 residents to the railway network by reopening a line that was closed in 1964.

The scheme is part of the MetroWest programme, which will bring suburban services to more stations across the west of England. A new hourly train timetable will provide economic and leisure opportunities for passengers and support a new housing development.

Wellington and Cullompton stations

New stations will be built at Wellington in Somerset and Cullompton in Devon, making travel to Exeter and beyond quicker and easier and unlocking a new housing development.

Once complete, Wellington and Cullompton will provide two additional stations that will serve the Great Western Mainline from London Paddington to Penzance and sit either side of Tiverton Parkway station. The original stations closed in 1964 and both towns have grown in population since then and are the largest settlements unserved by a rail station between Exeter and Taunton.

Marcus Jones, Network Rail’s Western route director, said: “We’re pleased that these two projects have been given the go ahead in our region, providing significant economic benefits as well as boosting sustainable travel options for commuters in Somerset, Devon, and Bristol.

“Improved rail links connect people with job and leisure opportunities that support local economies, and we look forward to bringing the railway closer to communities that haven’t had easy access to train journeys for more than 60 years.”