A £55,000 grant from the Welsh Government will allow Monmouthshire County Council to pay towards the costs for two projects that will benefit communities in the Severnside area and improve travel links in the area.

The council will join forces with MAGOR (the Magor Action Group on Rail) to commission consultants to undertake a feasibility study to develop a new railway station to serve the communities of Magor and Undy.

Two stations serving Magor and Undy closed in 1965 as part of the Beeching Plan when the population of the area was only 500. Today though, it has mushroomed to 6,500 with further development on the horizon. In addition, 40 per cent of the population commute to work on a daily basis and campaigners argue that the need for a railway station has never been greater.

The Magor Action Group on Rail (MAGOR) was formed three years ago with the single objective of bringing a railway station to the neighbourhood and this aim has won support from the county council following the adoption of its Local Transport Plan in January 2015 and a decision to underwrite the cost of a feasibility study.

The funding will also allow the council to upgrade the overflow car park on the community council playing fields to the north of the Severn Tunnel Junction railway station. This is part of a council programme to upgrade the station, including better station facilities, better walking and cycling access and more car parking.

County councillor Bryan Jones, cabinet member with responsibility for transport said: “Work arising from the Welsh government grant will be welcomed by residents, organisations and businesses in the Severnside area as it will bring nearer the realisation of much-needed community assets. Furthermore, the environment will benefit as people increasingly swap car travel for the train.”