Plans for Wilton and Corsham railway stations move forward

Trains from Wilton would go to Salisbury Railway Station

Rail links in Wiltshire could be improved following a funding bid to the government to develop plans for two new railway stations.

Wiltshire Council wants to build stations in Wilton and Corsham to link the towns to the national rail network.

Councillor Bridget Wayman, cabinet member for highways, said this would enable more people to travel by train.

The bids are still at an early stage and it will not be known for some time if one or both stations will be built.

The funding will be used to develop feasibility studies for the two new stations.

If approved, it is expected the Wilton project would cost around £20m, while the Corsham project would cost in the region of £10-15m.

Encourage tourists

The goal in Wilton is to create Wilton Junction, a four-platform station next to the town's park and ride site.

It would provide a rail link to Salisbury and access to train services on the West of England line from London Waterloo to Exeter.

There would also be trains to other parts of Wiltshire on the TransWilts line, with two trains stopping at the station each hour.

In Corsham, the proposed two-platform station would be on the existing Great Western main line, with potential train services to London Paddington, Bristol, Swindon and Reading.

It is hoped the schemes would see a reduction in traffic on the roads and encourage more tourists to the county, with Wilton Junction also providing bus links to Stonehenge and Cranborne Chase.

'High hopes'

The Department for Transport is expected to give an indication in a few months' time if there is a chance of success for either scheme.

Ms Wayman said: "These are two excellent bids that, if approved and progressed further, will go some way to improving rail links in Wiltshire, and enable more people to travel by train to and from Wilton and Corsham.

"If one or both are approved...we will be given funding to take the bids to the next step, which will see the preparation of strategic outline business cases.

"Only then could we start to get an indication of whether the bids will be a success, but we have submitted comprehensive bid applications, so we have high hopes."