WESTBURY will have an increased train service to Swindon as part of a grant of £4.25million to boost railway services in the county.
Last week, the Department of Transport announced that Wiltshire Council had been successful in its £4.25million bid which will help boost the economy and encourage people to use sustainable transport. The funding, which is a mixture of capital and revenue, will be targeted to create more regular services between Swindon and Westbury.
It is hoped Westbury will also have a share of the part of the grant set aside to fund improvements at a number of stations, help synchronise bus services with train connections and provide secure cycle areas for cyclists among other improvements across the county.
Roger Newman, who lives near Westbury and is chairman of the West Wiltshire Rail Users Group said, “This is good news. At the moment it’s a train each way in the morning, and one each way in the evening. That’s roughly a train every 12 hours. We don’t know the frequency of the new service yet, but there is a possibility it might be able to bring it up to the requested 2 hourly frequency.
“It would be wonderful if people then use it. If people don’t use it, it’s future will again be in doubt. We would hope it would not end at Westbury, and that it could go on to Dilton Marsh and Salisbury.”
Cabinet member for highways and transport Dick Tonge said, “We are delighted that we have been successful in securing this Government funding which will make a positive improvement to our rail services in the county.
“Improved train services and better access to stations will mean less people using the car and a boost for local businesses as the county will have even better transport connections. This grant is seed money to get the service started; the long term success of this project will depend on the number of passengers using it. We will be entering negotiations with the rail company as soon as we have the details of the grant from the Government.”
