Monmouthshire council will lobby for Magor walkway station

Rail decision makers will face a renewed lobbying effort to make a new style station at Magor a priority of five promised around Newport. 

The UK Government announced in its comprehensive spending review it would make £445 million available, with most of the money to be spent within the next three years, for rail upgrades in Wales. The Welsh Government intends pressing ahead with five new stops between Cardiff and Chepstow to ease congestion on the M4.   

Monmouthshire County Council agreed at its July meeting it would write to decision makers in the Cardiff and Westminster governments, and the rail industry, to “ensure that Magor Station is recognised as a quick win and is delivered immediately and without delay” with the funding announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves. 

Magor West independent councillor Frances Taylor, who put the motion asking for the council’s to once again commit to the village “walkway” station, intended to be accessed on foot rather than by car, said she was glad when plans for an M4 relief road were dropped. 

But she said Magor station could have been delivered at any time since the Burns report, that considered alternatives, was published in early 2021 and said she couldn’t see any of its recommendations have been implemented. 

“Critically Magor station does not need to wait for relief line enhancements it could be delivered tomorrow for circa £10m,” said Cllr Taylor who added two hourly trains, from Cardiff, to Taunton and Cheltenham could service it. 

The councillor said the five stations require improvements to the relief line, which carries freight, and she said that work hasn’t been included in the £445m announced in the spending review. 

Cllr Catrin Maby, the council’s Labour cabinet member with responsibility for transport, said while the walkway station as first proposed by local campaigners, in 2013, isn’t reliant on upgrading the relief line that would likely be required for it to be “fully functional” with the others proposed and to accommodate freight, fast trains passing through and stopping trains. 

The Drybridge councillor said the relief line upgrade is “on the radar” of Westminster’s Department of Transport, which is providing the funding.  
Labour member for Magor East with Undy John Crook said the council should focus on working with MP Catherine Fookes to lobby the government in London. 

An amendment put forward by Cllr Maby, who said she “didn’t disagree with the motion”, suggested “clarifying” timing of the relief line, but that was rejected by Cllr Taylor who said: “It is not about clarifying the timescale, there is no timescale to the relief line upgrade.” 

The amendment was rejected by one vote and Labour councillor Armand Watts said he couldn’t vote due to a technical problem. 

Cllr Maby also said the council is committed to other recommendations to ease M4 congestion including a Rogiet relief road which could also make travel to the Severn Tunnel Junction station easier.