THE Government has awarded £50,000 towards feasibility studies for a new Corsham railway station.

The cash came from the Government's Restoring your Railway Ideas Fund and was welcomed by Chippenham MP Michelle Donelan, who has fought to get the new station built.

"This is amazing news and proves that persistence pays off. The Ministers in the Department for Transport have assured me that we are on the 'right track' to deliver Corsham station.

"I have been pushing and pushing for the reopening of Corsham station since before I was elected.

"The money will go towards the feasibility studies needed and the detail required to flesh out the business case. We hope it can be built within five years."

She added: "Earlier this year I led the submission of a bid into the government’s Restoring your Railways Ideas Fund to help us reopen Corsham station. Our last bid wasn’t successful, but I did not give up.

"We worked with the Department of Transport to improve our bid from the first round of submissions for funding and got feedback which the Department.

"During the summer I continued to meet with the Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris MP. The panel to assess the bids was delayed slightly but I am glad my persistence paid off.

"I have always pushed the case as to why we need a station including the level of local demand.”

Miss Donelan strongly believes a service from Corsham can make a significant contribution to reducing both road congestion and air pollution, particularly in Bath and Bristol which are major centres for employment, retail and leisure.

She says: "The increasing population of the town of Corsham and the surrounding rural area needs improved infrastructure to support better connectivity which will in turn support business and tourism within the town itself.

"The station will only make a relatively small impact on the journey time between Bristol and London but would significantly reduce overall journey times for many passengers accessing the service who would not have to travel into the already congested areas of Bristol, Bath and Chippenham.

"The changing way in which lives will be led in the post-Covid-19 era means that this is an opportunity to positively improve both the travel experience and the environment for local people and those in the big cities we depend on for employment, retail and leisure facilities. This benefit will be amplified with our growing population.

"The MOD, which is a major and growing employer in Corsham, has links to both Bristol and London and an improved local rail service would greatly benefit them in terms of their travel plans and the local residents in terms of reduced congestion on the local rural road system.

"There is significant local demand for a station in Corsham. I have conducted surveys in the area since before my election in 2015 and existing residents are overwhelmingly in favour of this hugely beneficial infrastructure project for the town."