CAMPAIGNERS who want a new railway station to serve Magor and Undy have held discussions with Monmouthshire MP David Davies.

 Magor Action Group on Rail (MAGOR), which marked its 10th anniversary this month, is lobbying for a walkway station – where people from both communities will be encouraged to walk and cycle to use it rather than driving two and a half miles away at Severn Tunnel Junction.

 The group would like the station to be prioritised among a potential five new stations on the South Wales Main Line proposed as part of the Burns Review – intended to find solutions to congestion clogging up the M4 motorway – but there is uncertainty over funding. 

It was estimated that before the Covid-19 pandemic around 40,000 rail journeys a year were made from Severn Tunnel Junction by residents from Magor and Undy, resulting in around 80,000 car journeys there and back. 

Neighbouring Monmouth MP and Secretary of State for Wales David Davies met with MAGOR members alongside Newport East MP Jessica Morden.

They were joined by representatives from Monmouthshire County Council, including Cabinet Member for Climate Change and the Environment Catrin Mabey, Great Western Railway and Transport for Wales.

“The MAGOR community group has worked tirelessly and professionally on this campaign for a decade and makes a very strong case,” said Mr Davies.

“Magor itself has not had a railway station since 1964 and the village has swelled in size to a town. This area of the Severnside corridor has a fast-growing population and is one of the many reasons why the group believes investment in our rail infrastructure, including new stations like Magor, is needed to adapt to modern demands.”

Mr Davies said a good transport connection between South Wales and the West of England is essential for the economy in Wales, while helping to relieve congestion on the M4 and making life easier for people to travel for work and leisure.

“At the moment, I am campaigning to try and get improvements to the South Wales Relief Line so that commuter services can run on it,” he added.

“There is a 50mph limit which means it is limited to freight. Unfortunately, getting investment into the railways is always a time-consuming process because of the amount of studies needed.

“The group told me it would be possible to build a station at Magor before or without upgrading the line so I am going to find out more and look forward to continued dialogue on this important local project.”