Candidate demands action on stalled St Clears station after ‘five years of promises’

Carl Peters-Bond, who is standing as an Independent in the Caerfyrddin constituency and currently serves as Mayor of Kidwelly, is demanding urgent action to reopen St Clears railway station.

Located between Whitland and Carmarthen on the West Wales line, the station closed in 1964 and was handed a major boost in 2020 when it secured UK Government funding — but more than five years later, there is still no construction, no confirmed timetable, and no sign of trains returning.

“Not a single shovel in the ground”

Peters-Bond said patience in Carmarthenshire is wearing thin.

“People were told in 2020 that St Clears station was coming back,” he said.

“Five years on, we have vision documents, glossy strategies and endless consultations — but not a single shovel in the ground. It’s simply not good enough.”

Class 197 TfW train at Pembroke Dock station
(Image: TfW)

A project stuck in limbo

The frustration reflects a project that has lurched from early optimism into years of uncertainty.

When funding was first secured in 2020, hopes were high that St Clears would be reconnected to the rail network — reversing decades of decline since its closure in the 1960s.

But since then, progress has repeatedly stalled.

Ministers have faced mounting pressure after failing to give clear reassurances on when — or even if — the station would be delivered, despite funding being announced. Concerns have also been raised that the project has slipped down the priority list, with accusations the Welsh Government has been dragging its feet.

At the same time, rising costs and technical challenges have cast further doubt over the scheme, while uncertainty around wider infrastructure plans in west Wales has only added to the delays.

Even now, while the station remains part of long-term regional transport ambitions, it is still effectively stuck on the drawing board — with no firm delivery date in sight.

The railway line through St Clears, between Whitland and Carmarthen, where no station has operated since 1964.

Metro plans… but no timeline

The proposed station forms part of wider plans for a Swansea Bay and south west Wales metro-style network.

Transport for Wales has previously estimated the project could cost under £50 million, with ambitions to improve connectivity across rural west Wales — but crucially, no delivery timetable has ever been confirmed.

Peters-Bond seized on that lack of progress.

“Plans don’t get people to work, school or hospital — trains do,” he said.

“It’s time for delivery, not more documents.”

‘Left behind’ compared to Cardiff

He also pointed to what he sees as an imbalance in transport spending.

While major investment continues in metro systems in Cardiff and the Valleys — and billions have been spent on rail projects such as HS2 elsewhere in the UK — he said communities like St Clears are still waiting for basic infrastructure.

“Carmarthenshire deserves its fair share of investment, and St Clears station should be at the front of the queue,” he said.

A Transport for Wales Tram-Train run on the Merthyr, Aberdare and Treherbert lines, travelling to Cardiff and Cardiff Bay

Why it matters

Supporters say reopening the station could be a major boost for the area — improving access to jobs, education and healthcare, while easing pressure on the busy A40.

It could also prove crucial to future development in the region, with St Clears previously identified as a potential location for a new “super-hospital” serving west Wales.

Better rail links, campaigners argue, would be essential to making such large-scale plans viable.

‘No more delays’

Peters-Bond says that, if elected, he will push for a clear timetable and hold both Welsh Government and Transport for Wales to account.

“Carmarthenshire has waited long enough,” he said.

“Our communities deserve action — not another decade of promises.”

Long wait goes on

For now, though, the future of St Clears station remains uncertain — with locals still waiting to see whether the long-promised project will finally move from paper to platform.

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