Swindon's railway station has seldom been anything for the town to be proud of. This black and white picture was printed in the Evening Advertiser with the caption: "Swindon Station in need of smartening up."

Today, in spite of attempts to improve conditions, the station remains an unpleasant place to be stuck when your train is cancelled.

At the beginning of this year, we told how South Swindon MP Julia Drown labelled the station a "disgrace".

But now, with the news that Swindon station will be one of the beneficiaries of a £2.5 billion investment programme by Railtrack, the dour images of the town's station could soon become a thing of the past.

Railtrack has announced that work will start in 2005 on the main line between London and the West country thanks to the investment.

According to Railtrack spokeswoman Jane Terry, the possibilities are endless.

"This investment is part of the vision for a modernisation of the whole of the west line," she said.

"We are looking at how we can solve all the problems of the bottle-necks on the whole of the west line.

"As far as Swindon station, the plans are in their infancy.

"We are looking at talking to the council about how it would like to see the station incorp-orated in the town.

"No possibilities can be ruled out."

What can be said is that the size of the station will be doubled, and the mainline, which is currently two tracks, will be increased to four tracks.

This would vastly increase the flexibility of services, allowing more short-hop commuter services to run alongside main line inter-city express services.

The investment also incorporates a plan to build several new stat-ions including parkway commuter stations at Wootton Bassett, Cors-ham and to south of Devizes.

Ms Drown said: "This is excellent news for Swindon travellers.

"This should improve safety, frequency and reliability of trains and make rail travel a much more pleasant exper-ience."

The planning process will take at least three years, so with the work scheduled to start in 2005, the Railtrack planners have to get together with the council soon, to decide how to shape the future of rail travel for Swindon.

Robert Bruce, the principal planner for Swindon Borough Council, said: "This Rail-track plan offers us an opportunity for a bright new station.

"This fits in very much with what Swindon wants to become."

Leader of Swindon council, Sue Bates, says she is pleased at the investment into the town, but insists Rail-track has to listen to the council if the project is to be a success.

"If the council's vision for the future of the town is to be realised, the rail provider has to be an integral part of the town," said coun Bates.

"The relocation of the station itself into an inter-transport inter-change near the town centre is vital."

Coun Bates labelled the station the town has at the minute as an "extremely dour and uninviting passage into Swindon."

The people of Wootton Bassett have campaigned for years to have their town's rail station re-opened.

Since it was demolished in the 1960s, the town has had to rely on the car and bus services to get around, and townspeople are desperate to have the option of rail travel.

This is why the announcement that Railtrack's £2.5 billion investment could include money for a new Wootton Bassett station, was greeted with delight in the town.

Mollie Groom, who represents the town on Wiltshire County Council and has been one of the long standing campaigners for a new station, said: "Isn't it wonderful."

Jane Terry, spokeswoman for Railtrack, said: "With the increased capacity of the extra tracks which will be running through Swindon, there will be extra trains in the area and they will need somewhere to go if they are stopping in Swin-don.

"This means there is the chance to open other stations in areas such as Corsham, Devizes and Wootton Bassett.

"If there is a council which wants to put some money into a scheme and it can be demonstrated that there is a need for a station and that people will use it, then we will look at it." Even a comment such as this from Railtrack, which may not be particularly committal, makes the people of Wootton Bassett excited at the possibilities.

Coun Groom said: "Believe me, there is a real need for this station and I can assure Railtrack that it will be very well used.

"With the current development of homes and businesses in the area all around Wootton Bassett, the need for a rail station here is increasing all the time.

"Residents have been campaigning for a long time to have a station built in this town and now it finally looks as if they will be getting one.

"It really is wonderful news."

Coun Groom also said the opening of a new station in Wootton Bassett would be a help to Swindon, saying that it would be the perfect place for a park and ride, with people parking their cars in Wootton Bassett and then travelling in to the centre of Swindon by train.

Given the increasing problems of traffic congestion in Swindon, the continuing growth of the town and the surrounding area and the benefits of another station in the area, it looks as though the residents of Wootton Bassett may have the choice of rail travel for the first time in more than 40 years.