Green Party candidate pledges to reopen Wellington to Newport railway line
Wrekin Green Party candidate Tim Dawes has pledged to reopen the railway line connecting Wellington with Newport if he is elected.
The candidate pledged to reopen the line, saying it would help prevent the building of new roads in the area.
He said: "Part of the line in Telford is still in use and much of the rest of the route is still largely in place, although development at Newport would mean some redirection and a new station site here. Stations would also be provided at Donnington and Gnosall.
"Newport is now an important and growing commuter town, but the absence of a station is a major restriction.
"As well as providing a very useful freight link between Telford and the North West and Scotland, the re-established link would be a major boost to the local economies of both Wellington and Newport, making it easy to travel between the two, as well as providing Newport and Donnington residents with a direct rail link to Shrewsbury, Stafford and beyond.
"The development of new rail links is an important part of any credible approach to tackling climate change. It’s time to stop building new roads that only increase congestion and look to rail as a more sustainable form of transport.”
The line was closed as part of the Beeching cuts in 1966.
Also standing for the Wrekin seat are Conservative Mark Pritchard, Labour's Dylan Harrison and Liberal Democrat Thomas Janke.
