The Minister for Economy and Transport has once again backed plans for the re-opening of a railway station at St Clears on the Great Western Mainline.

Ken Skates has written to the Secretary of State for Transport, setting out a strong argument to build four new railway stations across Wales.

The letter calls on Grant Shapps to invest in the Wales and Borders rail network through the UK Government’s Restoring Your Railways fund, not only to improve rail connectivity, but to supercharge Wales’ post Covid-19 recovery.

A report undertaken by Transport for Wales for Mr. Skates identified four locations for new stations.

The developments, which would be paid for under the New Stations Fund 3, would be ready by early 2024.

All of equal priority, the stations would be: St Clears on the Great Western Mainline in West Wales; Deeside Parkway, on the Borderlands Line in North Wales; Carno, on the Cambrian Mainline in Mid Wales; and Ely Mill on the City Line in Cardiff, in South Wales.

The St Clears station was closed in 1964 following the Beeching cuts at the time and efforts to reopen it have been ongoing for over 50 years.

In his letter, Mr. Skates writes: “In combination, which is why I have not prioritised between them, the Transport for Wales report demonstrates a compelling case for all four to be developed as an integrated programme to improve access to the rail network across the regions of Wales.

“They will make a major contribution to improved rail connectivity, supercharge our post Covid19 recovery, and develop our public transport for the future. Our new station openings will be key to Building Back Better.”

A new station in St Clears would support strong employment and sustainable economic growth through improved regional connectivity.

Earlier this year, Mr. Skates commented: “The Welsh Labour Government has worked hard over the last couple of years to make the case for re-opening St Clears station.

“We’ve supported the assessment work and done all we can to explore the positive reasons why the station should be re-opened.

“We will keep making the argument for St Clears and keep working with the community to put the strongest possible case possible to the UK Government for re-opening this important station.”

Earlier this year the ‘Next Stop St Clears’ campaign highlighted community backing for the station being restored with a petition launched and public meeting held.

‘St Clears and the surrounding communities will benefit greatly from re-opening the railway station, closing the gap in the West Wales line and enabling more people to use the train’ - stated the campaign.

‘We believe a station in St Clears would bring many benefits, including social inclusion, reducing carbon footprint and increased tourism in the area.’

The new station, if approved, could serve a population of almost 100,000 according to a recent study undertaken.