£20m price tag for new rail station with 2028 arrival time

THE cost of Wellington’s new railway station has risen to up to £20 million - and it may not be completed until 2028.

- DANIEL MUMBY Local Democracy Reporter

Following the conclusion of its spending review, the government announced in mid-June that rail services would be returning to Wellington more than 60 years after its original station closed as part of the infamous Beeching cuts.

The delivery of the new railway station has been subsequently delayed by issues with the access road between the station site and Nynehead Road, with “remedial works” being carried out near the existing Lidl supermarket.

The station was originally expected to cost around £15m, based upon calculations made when then-prime minister Rishi Sunak MP cancelled part of the HS2 project north of Birmingham in October 2023.

Network Rail has now confirmed that the cost of the new station has risen to around £20m - though the precise figure will not be confirmed for some time.