HOPES that Royal Wootton Basset could once again have its own railway station are increasing after it was shortlisted as a potential scheme to share more than £16m of Government funding.

Wiltshire Council’s cabinet yesterday put forward the project to build a new station, with two platforms and associated facilities, as one of 10 potential major transport schemes for Wiltshire.

The list, plus another list of 10 transport projects suggested by Swindon Council, will go to the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Transport Body, a new body which has to approve a provisional prioritised list by the end of July.

Residents and councillors in Royal Wootton Bassett have campaigned for years to get a railway station, after the old one closed in the 1960s.

Coun Fleur de Rhe-Philipe, Wiltshire Council’s cabinet member for transport, said: “The schemes were all assessed under a very strict set of guidelines, mostly to do with economic development, but other things as well.

“There’s a scoring system and Royal Wootton Bassett station scored well on improving travel options in Swindon, on fitting with national transport goals, and on fitting in well with the City Deal bid.

“Having said that, one of the risks on all the station projects is getting a suitable stopping train service. At the moment there’s not a suitable service that might stop at Wootton Bassett, it has to be something in one of the train franchises that says that a train could stop at Wootton Bassett.”

The 10 schemes put forward also include improvements to M4 junction 16, plus two other new stations, one at Wilton and one at Corsham, and an additional platform at Westbury.

Steve Bucknell, a town councillor, said: “People in Bassett have been saying for a long time that they want the station re-opened or they want a railway station in the town.

“Even if it’s just a station that links into the Wilts network, i.e. links from Swindon through to Salisbury, that would be fantastic because people can get on the train at Bassett and it would open up leisure opportunities, business opportunities, educational opportunities as well.”

James Gray, the North Wiltshire MP, said: “I strongly support the bid for funding for the Royal Wootton Bassett station. It would be a great asset to the town.

“It would be an easy way of commuting, particularly to Swindon but also Reading and London and elsewhere.

“It wouldn’t be easy to achieve, although the land is still owned by Railtrack, so at least the land is there.”

Approximately £16.9m of government funding will be available for the chosen schemes, although the final amount could be 30 per cent more or less than this.

The SWLTB has four councillor representatives: Coun de Rhe-Philipe and Coun Toby Sturgis from Wiltshire Council, and Coun Keith Williams and Coun Mike Bawden from Swindon Council.