Rail plans for Alrewas National Memorial Arboretum

A railway station could be built to serve the National Memorial Arboretum, under plans being discussed.

Currently, the site which holds 400 memorials as a place for year-long remembrance, is only accessible by car.

During a visit to the site on Friday, Rail Minister Wendy Morton MP said there was a "strong case" for a station at the site in Alrewas, Staffordshire.

A decision on funding could be made by the government within the next two years.

Local MP Michael Fabricant said it would be part of a wider scheme to connect Birmingham via Lichfield to Burton-on-Trent.

The arboretum site attracts more than 300,000 visitors each year, and lies close to a rail line, with supporters calling for a station to allow more people to access the it.

Philippa Rawlinson, chief executive of the arboretum, said: "As the nation's place to remember, we need to be close to the nation and currently there is no public transport that gets people here to the National Memorial Arboretum."

"By me coming here...it gives me a better understanding of what the programme is, what the project is, and what I can say is it is on my radar," said Ms Morton, the parliamentary under secretary to the Department of Transport.

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