 Minehead railway station is close to the beach . The Minehead Railway was opened on 16 July 1874 , linking the town to Taunton and beyond . It was operated by the Bristol and Exeter Railway which was amalgamated into the Great Western Railway in 1876 . The Minehead Railway was itself absorbed into the GWR in 1897 , which in turn was nationalised into British Railways in 1948 . It was closed on 4 January 1971 but has since been reopened as the West Somerset Railway , which is notable for being the longest heritage railway in Britain . 
