Long-awaited plans for the return of rail to Devizes have taken a major step forward with the backing of £34,000.

The team behind plans for the Devizes Gateway station are pulling together an ambitious business case to be submitted by the end of this year - which will determine the rail future for the town.

Investigations by Atkins are underway into the current transport challenges facing the town and how a station could combat them, but also into if the currently proposed location for the station, in Lydeway near Urchfont, is the most practical site.

The station will bring a “game-changing transformation” and economic growth to the town, say the Devizes Development Partnership (DDP) however, they have stressed this will not change the fabric of town that is often referred to as the hidden gem in Wiltshire’s crown.

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald:

“We’re not going to turn Devizes into a metropolitan hub,” explained Catharine Symington of the Devizes Development Partnership.

She added: “It [the station] fits with the Government’s Levelling Up Agenda and helps us to take advantage of the tourism opportunities coming. After the pandemic there will be a lot more emphasis on staycations, and Wiltshire is one of those countries that people might have just driven through on their way to places like Dorset and Cornwall. We want people to take advantage of the wonderful countryside and world heritage sites we have here and Devizes sits at the centre of that. We want people staying here overnight, using the hospitality and restaurants.”

The current business case into the feasibility of the station will be handed in at the end of the year and, if accepted, major works will begin as soon as possible to bring the station into reality.

Devizes Gateway is poised for a 2025 opening if all things go to plan.

Devizes Town Council, in their recent full council meeting, decided to commit £34,000 towards the station’s business case.

Mayor Chris Gay referred to the plans as “superb” while councillor Ian Hopkins, with an unconscious pun added: “The business case is a big hurdle to overcome if we will be successful further down the line.”

Extension of the railway line through Devizes is something that many outwith the town have also long yearned for.

Frome Town Council are also firm backers of the project, as extension to the line could improve transport opportunities in their own town.

The DDP’s Tamara Reay added: “People in Hungerford, Marlborough, Bedwyn and Pewsey are keen to see services going West, and a Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) study undertaken estimated an additional economic benefit of £2.5 million per annum for doing that.

"We expect that element to be a key part of the business case too.”

The Devizes Gateway Station

WHERE?

The current proposed site is next to the Clock Inn in Lydeway, and preferred as the track is flat and straight. It’s where the former branch line diverges from the main line.

Much of the branch line has been built over in Devizes itself, which is why the centre of town has been deemed unlikely.

WHY?

With a population of around 31,000, Devizes is the largest town in Wiltshire not to be serviced by rail. Significant employers within Wiltshire have told the DDP that having a railway station would significantly help them to both conduct business and attract new talent.

They say it would also help local students access courses at universities and colleges in Bristol, Bath, Reading and Newbury.

THE LINE?

There are two options for the direction of services.

1) The first is the extension of the Bedwyn service. There is currently an hourly service which terminates at Bedwyn, and Bedwyn and Pewsey rail groups have lobbied for a long time for improved Westward connections.

However, this option could put pressure on the rail service in Westbury, described as a “bit of a bottleneck for the rail network.”

2) The second option is to make the Devizes Gateway station a stop on the existing Exeter semi-fast route, which stops at Pewsey and Westbury. It would ideally make an hourly stop at Devizes.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

If the DDP’s business case is approved, then there will be future engagement with the local community before further details - such as concept design and car parking facilities - are ironed out.