Bid for new train station on Great Western main line gets £50k boost
It's thought a new station at Corsham could reduce traffic on the roads
A new train station could be built on the main Great Western line between Bath and London Paddington.
Wiltshire Council has been given £50,000 to explore the idea of a station at Corsham, as part of the Restoring Your Railway Ideas Fund.
Specifically, the Council has been given funding from the Department for Transport (DfT) to develop a feasibility study.
The proposed new two-platform station would have potential links to London Paddington, Bristol, Swindon and Reading.
It would also help to reduce traffic volumes in Corsham and along the A4, and provide easy access to and from MOD Corsham.
Councillor Richard Clewer said: "We will be working closely with Corsham Town Council, Great Western Railway, and others over the next few months, bringing together our Strategic Outline Business Case to submit for the next stage.
"Depending on the outcome of this we will then get an indication of whether the proposal will progress further.
"If successful, the Corsham project is currently anticipated to cost up to £15 million and would be delivered by 2029 or earlier, to fit in with other rail initiatives."
He added that commuters and visitors to the Corsham MOD site would also have the option to travel by train, further reducing traffic on local roads.
This bid was the joint effort of many individuals and groups such as Corsham Town Council, Bath and North East Somerset Council, Bath Spa University, Chippenham Town Council and MOD Corsham.
A Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) will now be produced, to set out more details on the proposed project.
It will also outline how the plans would fit strategically into local priorities and wider government transport ambitions.
On 29th October the council also submitted an SOBC for a Devizes Gateway Station to the DfT today which would "greatly improve the rail connections in Wiltshire", according to Mr Clewer.