CHIPPENHAM MP Michelle Donelan is keeping up the pressure to re-open Corsham Railway Station.

She recently met the newly-appointed Minister for Rail, Wendy Morton MP, to reaffirm how important it is to build Corsham Station to improve connectivity, reduce traffic and reduce pollution.

Following the £50,000 of funding the MP helped to secure from the Restoring your Railway Ideas Fund for feasibility studies, Miss Donelan has been lobbying the Department for Transport to deliver a new £15 million station for the people of Corsham.

She says she held a “positive meeting” with the Minister who confirmed the campaign is on the right track to deliver the station.

Miss Donelan said hopes the new station can be built within five years.

Feasibility studies are ongoing which will flesh out the business case for the reopening of Corsham Station.

A Strategic Outline Business Case is due to be submitted to the Department for Transport by the end of September.

Miss Donelan said: “I have been persistent with Ministers and officials in the Department for Transport to ensure that we build Corsham Station as soon as possible.

“Having been a lead sponsor of the bid to secure funding from Government to deliver Corsham Station, it was great to meet with the new Rail Minister to keep on pushing the case for Corsham Station to be opened.

“I will keep on doing all I can to ensure that we deliver Corsham Station which will greatly improve connectivity here in Wiltshire and help us meet our net-zero goals.”

The MP says she will continue to work closely with the Corsham Railway Town Team, Wiltshire Council and all relevant stakeholders to make progress on delivering the station.

Wendy Morton MP said: “Michelle has been instrumental in calling for Corsham Station to be reopened.

“Feasibility studies are ongoing to flesh out the business case and I will continue to work closely with Michelle to improve connectivity across her constituency.”

If and when it is built, the Corsham station will help improve rail connections to Bath, Chippenham, Swindon and beyond to London.

The original station served Corsham from 1841 onwards but closed on January 4, 1965.

As the town has grown, reinstating the station has been suggested since at least 2009.