Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the possibility of re-connecting Minehead station to the rail network in the South-West of England.

Great Western Railway is planning a limited weekend service this summer to Bishops Lydeard providing a direct connection between the national network and the privately-operated West Somerset Railway, which operates train services to Minehead.

Any development of a year-round regular direct national rail service to Minehead would need to follow the principles set out in A Strategic Vision for Rail, published on 29 November 2017, in which the Secretary of State said that "the challenge to our partners is to work with Government and the industry to develop compelling proposals for the next generation of rail schemes". He also made clear that all schemes for reopening railway lines would need to demonstrate a strong business case where they are seeking any available Government funding.