Prime Minister’s Questions. Sarah Dyke MP asks the PM for support to the Langport/Somerton New Station Project

Wednesday 13th March 2024

The Langport Transport Group are mentioned in Parliament!

Our MP for Somerton and Frome, Sarah Dyke MP (Lib Dem), raises our new station project at Prime Minister’s Questions (known as PMQs) on 13th March 2024. A perfectly forthright and impassioned question to the Prime Minister on whether he supports the new station project for Somerton and Langport.

Here is the Hansard record of Sarah Dyke’s PMQ:

Sarah Dyke (Somerton & Frome): ‘My constituents in Somerton and Frome, working together with the Langport Transport Group, submitted a robust strategic business case to the Government in July 2022 for the reopening of a train station in the Somerton and Langport area. Such a train station would connect over 50,000 people to the rail network, boost the local economy and support local people to reduce their reliance on cars. Almost two years on, they are still waiting for a response. Does the Prime Minister support this project, and can he provide confidence to my constituents that their hard work to drive this vital project forward has not been futile?’

The Prime Minister: ‘Conservatives in the south-west are rightly championing the reopening of local stations. Cullompton and Wellington will be among the places that receive funding as a result of our decision on HS2. It is because of that decision that we have now freed up billions of pounds of funding to invest in local transport across the country, and local leaders will be put in charge of that money to prioritise their local needs.’

You can see the Hansard record at the link below:

https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2024-03-13/debates/0F85365D-BD56-4647-B8B5-EC356A1BD132/Engagements

‘Why the future looks bright for Somerset’s rail network’

Tuesday 2nd January 2024 (from 24th December 2023)

Daniel Mumby, the Local Democracy Reporter, publishes an excellent and detailed article on the plans across Somerset for improving the rail network. Published in The Bridgwater Mercury on 24th December 2023.

There is a good overview on the Langport and Somerton station project.

Read the excellent article here:

https://www.bridgwatermercury.co.uk/news/23999714.future-looks-bright-somersets-rail-network/

Sarah Dyke MP Meets the Langport Transport Group

On 30th November, our MP, Sarah Dyke, met the Langport Transport Group yesterday in Langport’s historic Town Hall to receive an update on the new station campaign for Langport and Somerton from our Chair Phil Edge.

A collaborative and informative briefing took place yesterday (30th November) between Sarah Dyke MP, the Langport Transport Group, Alex Lawrie (Go-op train operating company) and members of our local government; including Sean Dromgoole (Chair of Langport Town Council), Richard Wilkins (Curry Rivel & Langport), and Mike Rigby (Lead Member for Transport and Digital, Somerset Council).

Phil Edge of the Langport Transport Group gave an overview of our Strategic Outline Business Case highlighting the many strengths of the case from the economic, financial, operational, environmental, social, community cohesion and mobility perspectives. Sarah heard how the local community, our various Parish Councils and local stakeholders had provided overwhelming support to the campaign.

We were delighted to hear how Sarah had raised the campaign in Parliament on the 20th and 28th November and that she had also written to the Secretary of State for Transport, Mark Harper, on 23rd October requesting an update on progress from the Department of Transport who have had our case since March 2022.

Many thanks to Sarah for her time and for her enthusiasm for the campaign and we are grateful to Mike Rigby, Sean Dromgoole and Richard Wilkins for making time for the meeting.

Our New MP Secures Debate on Rural Issues – and Mentions the Langport/Somerton Station Campaign

Another article from Andrew Lee appearing on the LevellerLive website on 29th November.

‘Somerton & Frome MP Sarah Dyke secured a debate in Westminster Hall yesterday to discuss rural issues. It is her first debate in which she has secured the motion. This was that “This house has considered Government support for rural affairs”.

In moving the motion Sarah Dyke took the opportunity to raise the issue of a station at Langport or Somerton. Noting: “Fifty-three thousand people live within 10 km of Langport and Somerton, yet they are without access to a train station. Travellers have to drive 24 km to Taunton or 25km to Castle Cary. For those without access to private transport, the travel time by bus between Langport and Taunton is 51 minutes, and for Somerton it is 62 minutes. There is no direct connection to the rail by bus between Langport and Somerton and Castle Cary, with public transport requiring an interchange. The shortest journey time is therefore around one hour and 17 minutes. Bus routes in my constituency are also under threat, with four routes currently without guaranteed long-term funding.” ‘

Read more of Andrew Lee’s informative article here:

New MP secures debate on rural issues

Sarah Dyke MP Raises the Langport/Somerton Station Campaign in Parliament

On 28th November 2023 Sarah Dyke MP again raises the Langport and Somerton station campaign in Parliament.

Hansard records…

‘Fifty-three thousand people live within 10 km of Langport and Somerton, yet they are without access to a train station. Travellers have to drive 24 km to Taunton or 25km to Castle Cary. For those without access to private transport, the travel time by bus between Langport and Taunton is 51 minutes, and for Somerton it is 62 minutes. There is no direct connection to the rail by bus between Langport and Somerton and Castle Cary, with public transport requiring an interchange. The shortest journey time is therefore around one hour and 17 minutes. Bus routes in my constituency are also under threat, with four routes currently without guaranteed long-term funding’.

You can read the full entry in Hansard here:

Rural Communities: Government Support – Hansard – UK Parliament

Our MP asks, “Where’s Our Station?”

Another great article by Andrew Lee from ‘The Leveller Live’ on the 21st November 2023.

‘The new(ish) MP for Somerton & Frome voiced the concerns of residents of Langport and Somerton in Parliament yesterday. She was responding to a statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Jacob Young MP.

In recent months concern has been growing about the fate of a proposed station for the Langport/Somerton area. It is on the largest stretch of track without a station on the West Country network. A feasibility study has been completed and submitted to the Department for Transport. Since when the silence has been deafening.

So a statement from Jacob Young was a golden opportunity to raise the issue. And a couple of other long standing gripes too.

Sarah Dyke asked: “I thank the Minister for his statement. I am disappointed that that levelling-up fund bid submitted by Somerset Council for the much-needed regeneration works in the rural market towns of Frome and Wincanton has not been successful. In the Somerton and Langport area, we have been without a train station since the 1960s. The Langport Transport Group’s joint proposal with Somerset Council has not received an update to their bid to the restoring your railway fund since July 2022. Will the Minister provide an update and support me to bring much-needed rail connections to the area?” ‘

Read more here:

MP asks: Where’s our station?

6th October 2023.  ‘HS2 axing gives new Somerset railway station the green light’

Congratulations to the Wellington and Cullompton new station project for securing support for the next phase.

Somerset’s newest railway station will be “funded to delivery” after the government announced it was scrapping HS2. Prime minister Rishi Sunak announced at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester on Wednesday (October 4) that the hugely over-budget rail project would not be continued beyond Birmingham, freeing up more than £36bn for other transport projects.

Read the SomersetLive article here

The Langport Transport Group is seeking an update from the Department of Transport on the progress of our new station project. We will let you all know as soon as we hear more news.

1st October 2023 – Langport & Somerton Features in the October Edition of Railwatch Magazine

We are delighted that an article authored by Simon Taylor has appeared in the October 2023 edition of the Railwatch Magazine. Railwatch is a magazine published by Railfuture that campaigns for a bigger and better railway.

The text of the article…..

‘Railfuture-affiliated Langport Transport Group has been working hard with partners, including Somerset county council and the new unitary authority, to make the case for a reopened station on the London Paddington to Penzance main line. The group, whose secretary is Railfuture life member Simon Taylor, was awarded £50,000 by the Department for Transport under the Restoring Your Railway fund. Along with support from other local councils, this allowed specialist transport consultancy WSP to be commissioned to undertake a study and produce an outline strategic business case. This business case was submitted in March 2022, along with all other national bids, and is awaiting a decision. Enquiries about progress to the DfT are met with news of further delays. More about the business case which has been described as compelling, can be found at LTG’s website. The study anticipates around 230,000 rail journeys a year being made from a new station. About two thirds of those would be by “new to rail” passengers. The economic, social, financial, management and environmental cases stack up strongly for this catchment area in southern Somerset. It has a population of 50,000 and straddles the longest stretch of operational railway in southern England of over 27 miles with no station’.