25-04-2025
- Politics
- Powys County Times
Montgomeryshire MP advocating to re-open Carno train station
Montgomeryshire's MP is advocating to re-open a village train station that has been closed for over 60 years.
The Campaign for Carno Station is planning to hold an event on Saturday, April 26, and Montgomeryshire MP Steve Witherden is expected to be in attendance as he is asking residents to 'show their support'.
Carno Station Action Group was formed in 2002 to campaign for the reopening of the village station, which closed in 1963 during the Beeching cuts.
The coffee morning this weekend is being held to build community support by offering local people the chance to discuss the campaign with the action group and their MP.
Mr Witherden said: 'I strongly encourage constituents in the Carno area to join me and the Carno Station Action Group at their coffee morning on the campaign to open a platform-only station.
'There is a real chance here to reverse the decline in connectivity that characterises train travel in Mid Wales. We need to kick up a fuss and show that there is serious community support behind this campaign ahead of the Spending Review in June.
'I will be doing my part in Westminster but I need your help too. Please come and show your support in Carno on Saturday.'
The Montgomeryshire MP met with the campaign group in February 2025 and has since raised the issue with Welsh Transport Secretary Ken Skates at a meeting in March in an attempt to prioritise the station.
The campaign to reopen the station had previously been backed by the Welsh Government, Transport for Wales, and Network Rail, but needs funding from Westminster, with the campaign hoping it will be included in a list of projects that will receive UK Government funding that is expected to be revealed as part of its Spending Review in June.
The renewed push to open the station comes as derelict buildings by the platform have been demolished and their walls and foundations compacted to form a hard standing over the whole site, which the campaign group says could open the possibility of further development.
Mr Witherden added: 'Carno, which is only served by a two-hourly bus on weekdays, could benefit significantly from a new platform-only station by boosting local tourism, making it easier for the young to access educational and employment opportunities, and promoting more environmentally friendly travel.'
The coffee morning will be held at Carno Community Centre at 10am.
