Plans to reopen the long-defunct railway station have been thrown into disarray. The much-anticipated revival, backed by a £4.7 million commitment from the UK Government, has hit a financial brick wall, with the Welsh Government conceding its inability to match the necessary funds for the project’s completion.

The station, which closed in 1964, was slated for a grand revival, promising enhanced connectivity and economic opportunities for the region. Initial optimism had permeated the community when groundwork and surveying commenced in early 2022. However, the dream of a bustling transport hub now seems distant, as the project faces an unforeseen hurdle – a financial shortfall of nearly £6 million.

The crisis came to light during discussions in the Senedd this week. Deputy Minister for Climate Change, Lee Waters, revealed that the original cost estimate of £6 million had doubled due to complications arising from changes in signalling systems. “There’s an assumption in this scheme that the Welsh Government will match-fund and we were willing to match-fund at a lower cost but we simply do not have the funds to match-fund at the higher costs. That is the truth of the situation,” Waters somberly stated. His words laid bare the stark reality faced by the Welsh Government, caught between the community’s needs and financial constraints.

Conservative politicians for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, Simon Hart MP and Samuel Kurtz MS, expressed their deep concern during a recent on-site inspection. Mr. Hart elucidated the financial intricacies, saying, “The UK Government promised nearly £5 million towards the project and the Welsh Government put in another £1.6 million – but the costs have doubled due to the price of changing the signalling and there is now a shortfall of nearly £6 million.” Their concern mirrored the sentiments of the local populace, disappointed by the project’s stagnation despite initial promises.

Further complicating matters is the Welsh Government’s approach, intertwining the railway station’s fate with a proposed new hospital in the vicinity. Senedd Member Samuel Kurtz voiced his disappointment, stating, “Despite this project being greenlit a few years ago, the Welsh Government have conflated the station build with the potential new hospital, seemingly making the station conditional on the hospital being built in St Clears. This means there has been no progress at all and, in this time, costs have risen.”

This revelation has left the residents of St Clears in a state of uncertainty, their hopes for improved transportation and economic growth hanging by a thread. The once-promising project now faces an ambiguous future, with the community eagerly awaiting decisive action from both the Welsh and UK Governments.

As the situation stands, the St Clears railway station remains a poignant symbol of unrealized potential, a reminder of the challenges faced by local communities in the pursuit of progress. The residents, alongside their representatives, remain steadfast in their desire for a resolution, hoping that the railway station will one day become more than just a fading memory, but a vibrant reality, breathing new life into their town.

An attempt to reopen the station in 1973 was made by five local authorities and organisations, together with the Department of the Environment, which jointly agreed to fund construction of a new station at a total cost of then of just £5,400 (or £25,000 in today’s money)