Corsham Train Station plans must be ready for 2028, says MP
Corsham has been without a train station since 1965
Plans for a new train station in Corsham need to be ready for 2028, the towns MP has said.
Proposals for returning rail services to the north Wiltshire town for the first time since the 1960s were setback in 2024 when the Government's Spending Review saw the Restoring Your Railways Fund was scrapped, but Sarah Gibson says she's been given positive indications of the projects viability.
"What was encouraging is that in 2024, Network Rail assessed a number of sort of potential new stations and recommended that Corsham should be in the next tranche for delivery.
"That just puts you on a would like to list, it doesn't actually get you very far," she said.
Additionally, Ms Gibson has held constructive talks with Government ministers, including Lord Hendy, Minister for Rail, saying he was "extremely positive" about the scheme.
It means that momentum is gathering around building a case to present to Government, with Ms Gibson revealing that Lord Hendy was clear that proposals needs to be in order for the 2028 Spending Review.
Government keen on boosting rail infrastructure
The positive noises suggest there is light at the end of the tunnel for the project to be green lit, with Ms Gibson hopeful this project will succeed where others have failed.
"I wouldn't be pursuing it if I hadn't had from the government a clear line that they thought it was possible, they thought it was viable," she told Greatest Hits Radio.
She said there is a lot of emphasis being placed on rail networks by the Government, adding that the project is "in a good place".
However, she did issue a word of caution, saying that she can't promise the bid will be successful.
"All sorts of things might change," Ms Gibson warned. "But certainly, I think it's an important moment to keep pushing it and try and get it over the line."
Unlocking opportunities for local people
Ms Gibson told us that part of her reasoning for becoming an MP was to champion this project, saying it would help address a barrier to opportunity in that part of Wiltshire.
Having grown up in nearby Box, Ms Gibson is fully aware of the challenges the lack of rail connection bring.
"It's still true, unfortunately, that in a way you have to leave Wiltshire in order to get good career progression, and that shouldn't be happening. People should be able to stay at home in the place that they call home, that they want to live in and still access things," she said.
Reconnecting Corsham to the rail network would allow prople living their to have greater access to Bath, Bristol, Chippenham and Swindon, and even beyond the South West.
"It's not just for leisure, it opens up education possibilities in those other places and a jobs market, allowing people who live in Corsham to be able to work easily outside the town, without sitting in queues on the A4," she said, adding it could allow University opportunities to expand in Corsham, which is home to the Bath Spa University.
Ms Gibson said it's also a chance for Bath and Swindon to form a "lineal city", boosting employment opportunities along the line between them.