7th April 2026
Langport Transport Group’s David Northey delivers an inspiring call to action on our Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1095121852795511/
Did you know that over 50,000 people live in Somerton, Langport and the surrounding villages — yet we currently have no direct rail access?
Our campaign to reopen a station for Somerton & Langport is about reconnecting our communities to jobs, education, healthcare and leisure opportunities across Somerset and beyond. A new station on the existing main line between Taunton and Castle Cary would:
• Provide direct access to Taunton, Bristol, Bath, Reading and London
• Reduce congestion on local roads
• Support sustainable travel and cut carbon emissions
• Boost the local economy and tourism
• Improve access to education and healthcare
• Reconnect rural communities to the national rail network
This is not about building a new railway — it’s about making better use of the line that already runs through our area every day.
With strong local support, previous funding secured for a business case, and growing recognition of the need for better public transport, momentum is building. But we need your help to keep pushing forward.
At the recent Somerset Council Executive meeting a question was asked by Phil Edge (Chair) about the next steps and received supportive feedback from the council for the station and Cllr Richard Wilkins also confirmed that it was high on the list of schemes by Peninsula Transport. He said that Somerset were awaiting feedback from the DfT and we will be following this up.
In the meantime we are reminded by a keynote speaker at our conference last year that you need three key ingredients and they are the following people : a politician, a transport specialist and a local council representative , and these then lead the way for the community.
It’s not what the railway or DfT can do for us, but what we can do for the industry and that is champion this scheme from the ground upwards.
At our committee meeting last night we agreed to approach the DfT for a response on their position on our station, as well as going back to Somerset to understand what support looks like and how we can move forward.
Langport Transport Group 