SWINDON’S newest train station will open on Sunday as four years of work for the volunteers of the Coate Water Railway (CWR) comes to fruition.

The opening of Richard Jefferies Halt will coincide will the official unveiling of the new loop extension for the miniature railway.

To mark the occasion, Swindon175, the Richard Jefferies Museum and the Coate Water Railway themselves will be laying on a day of family fun – a sort of CWR meets GWR celebration.

The event will see the first official train calling at the new station with a ribbon cutting by the MP for South Swindon, Robert Buckland, as well as the unveiling of the new station sign.

Caroline Black, Project Manager for Swindon175, said: "This part of the town is a real treasure with the beautiful country park, the railway and of course the Richard Jefferies Museum.

“We are delighted to be supporting this event as part of Swindon175 as we celebrate the town's heritage.

"The Grand Opening will be a fantastic family day and we hope to draw new visitors to this beautiful part of town to join in the celebrations. Come along and bring a picnic."

As well as the unveiling of the new station and extension loop, there will be a range of other family activities to keep everyone entertained including a brass band, steam traction engines and fun for the children at the museum.

The new station and the 645 metre loop extension represent a major investment by the team behind the CWR which heralds a new era for the ever-popular country park-based miniature railway.

Each year the CWR carries over 25,000 passengers, the loop extension that will take the tracks all the way to the museum represents a near doubling of the railway's network and a major boost to the overall site.

Kenneth Parker, Chairman of the CWR, said: "The loop extension and station sees four years of hard work and planning come to fruition.

“This is a very proud day for the CWR."

Planning permission was first granted for a new track extension in 2012, enabling the long term plan always envisaged by the society to be realised.

Work started in the first quarter of 2013 to take the tracks through the muddy field on the edge of the park towards the Richard Jefferies museum.

Over 600 tons of hard core was used to build up the embankments and in November last year the concrete and track sections were finally finished.

A new platform at the Richard Jefferies was laid before the landscaping, point work and signalling was completed earlier this year.

2016 now promises to be one of the most exciting in the society’s 51 year history, keeping them on track to being known as one of the finest miniature railways in the country.