Update on major project for Wellington railway station

A council will be stepping up parking enforcement in Wellington when car parking spaces at the town’s railway station are taken up by construction workers, a meeting heard.

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Wellington Town Council was given an update on a major project to install two lifts and a new footbridge at the railway station from an official and the leader of Telford & Wrekin Council.

The free long stay station car park has 109 standard spaces and six accessible spaces but the construction work will take up a ‘small number’ of the parking slots, a town council meeting heard.

Councillor Lee Carter, leader of the Labour-run borough, told Monday’s meeting that he wants to ‘reassure the residents of Wellington’ they are aware of the possibility of cars being ‘displaced’ onto local streets including Constitution Hill.

Signs will be put up to direct drivers to the town’s other free car parks including the long stay car park at Victoria Road.

Councillor Carter, who also sits on the town council, added that: “We will be increasing enforcement in those areas.”

An official representing Network Rail told the meeting that work has started on the project. It is hoped to finish it by ‘early autumn’ in 2027.

She said that constructing, installing and testing the two lifts take an “incredibly long time.”

The official said she has had to explain to people that “it is not just a lift”.

Councillors were told that after welfare rooms are created for the contractors and a compound is created in the car park, they will start piling works.

The official, who did not wish to be named, said piling works will continue up until May next year.

The station’s new lifts and new bridge will be built elsewhere and lifted into place by cranes, the meeting was told. The current bridge will stay in place, remain open and could be cleaned.

Telford & Wrekin Council is contributing some £700,000 to the project to extend the bridge so passengers will have a connection to Wellington Bus Station.

Councillor Carter and the town council’s sole Conservative councillor skirmished over who can claim credit for the project.

Wellington’s MP, Tory Mark Pritchard, has spoken of his years of campaigning on the issue.

Councillor Carter said that an original funding announcement had been made by the Conservative government in 2019.

But he added: “Let’s make it quite clear we’ve waited seven years for this and the only reason we’re getting it in 2026 is because Telford and Wrekin have made that £700,000 funding available.”

Councillor Jinks said: “Credit where it is due. Thank you to Telford & Wrekin for finally investing in Wellington.

“And thank you to Mark Pritchard for starting the ball rolling.”

Liberal Democrat councillor Karen Tomlinson said the work is a “really great thing” and “welcomed” Telford and Wrekin “moving the project along.”

The official said that she could give the town council an update in six months’ time.