RE-OPENING the rail link to Royal Wootton Bassett could reduce congestion on the roads and revitalise rural communities, according to a report from the Campaign for Rural England (CPRE).

The junction at Royal Wootton Bassett was closed on January 4, 1965, when services between Swindon and Chippenham were withdrawn amid the axing of many rail routes to smaller communisms following the Beeching reports.

But the Rural Reconnections report, commissioned by the CPRE and produced by research group Greengauge, argues re-opening lines could provide vital transport links to rural communities while cuts to public transport services continue.

And John Blake, secretary of CPRE Wiltshire, said the line at Bassett was a good example of how it could work.

"Adding two further stops to the TransWilts rail service at Royal Wootton Bassett and Blagrove would be a far better solution to the traffic congestion in the west of Swindon to Royal Wootton Bassett corridor than trying to increase the circulation at M4 Junction 16 and thereby increase the bottlenecks on local roads," he said.

Graham Ellis, of the TransWilts community rail partnership, said: "Rail use is growing and there are good reasons why a station should be opened at Royal Wootton Bassett.

"If nothing else, it could act as a park and ride to Swindon to prevent the congestion getting into Swindon.

"Trains are far quicker and more economical than road transport. A train from Swindon West to Chippenham take just 18 minutes, whereas a bus takes 80."

Ralph Smyth, CPRE transport campaign manager, said: "This report underlines the many benefits that can ensue from reconnecting rural rail lines and have been ignored by previous evaluations.

"Many railways were cut back in the 1960s on the basis that they unnecessarily duplicated other routes. But we need them again now to create sustainable development in our rural communities and to provide resilience against extreme weather.

“Far from being an exercise in nostalgia, rail re-openings are vital to unlocking the potential of rural areas.

"It’s time for the Department for Transport to value these benefits, so that the countryside can have its fair share of investment. We need to reverse some of [the] Beeching [cuts] in the 21st century.”

To read the report visit www.greengauge21.net