Councillors are “delighted” after plans for a new railway station in a Wiltshire town were given “renewed hope.”
Devizes Town Council is celebrating a boost to the town’s hopes of getting a Devizes Gateway Station.
The town is currently one of the largest in Wiltshire without a railway station and campaigners have been pushing for the Gateway project to come to fruition for years.
This scheme was given a major boost by the recent publication of the Network Rail Wiltshire Rail Strategic Study, which identified a strong regional case for new stations in both Devizes and Corsham.
The study found that there were challenges to providing a station in Devizes but that the scheme could be supported by improving the surrounding infrastructure, including hourly Paddington to Westbury services.
This support for the project comes after cuts to railway infrastructure projects around the country and has pleased the town council.
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Town mayor, Cllr Ian Hopkins said: “Whilst there is more work to be done, building on continued community support for the Gateway project, I am pleased to read that stage one of the proposed improvements would provide an hourly direct service between London Paddington and Westbury and new infrastructure which in time could also serve the Devizes Gateway Station.
“We highlighted the need for changes at Westbury station to improve interchanges as well as support the introduction of the new station and are pleased these have been recommended”.
The study called for an overhaul of Wiltshire’s railway infrastructure as a whole, making the case for enhanced services, new direct services between Wiltshire and key hubs, and upgraded track and signalling infrastructure.
When discussing the benefits of new stations in Devizes and Corsham, it argued this would “provide more opportunities to connect settlements and regions locally.”
It is hoped this will “encourage investment from businesses and support opportunities for local housing and employment.”
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In October, Wiltshire Council revealed that Network Rail was due to begin analysing the proposals.
Devizes Town Council added it will continue to work with Network Rail and Wiltshire Council to “maintain momentum and support” for the project.
A spokesperson added: “The report is an important milestone, because whilst it is no secret that the new station project still has a long way to go, it has now been identified by Network Rail and the train operator that there is a strong regional case for Devizes Gateway Station.”
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