TALKS on the future of a new railway station in Wilton are progressing with the scheme involving a “unique” combination of factors.

Designs for Wilton Parkway were unveiled in September and organisations behind the vision hope a decision on funding will be made before the 2017 rail franchise renewals.

The latest plans involve the addition of further housing and a hotel by the station which would provide direct trains to London, Southampton, Swindon, Bristol and Cardiff.

Last week Paul Johnson, chairman of the community transport partnership group TransWilts met with Wiltshire Council portfolio holder for transport, Horace Prickett and Salisbury MP John Glen.

Mr Johnson said: “We see Wilton Parkway as an important additional station for three reasons.

“It will help ease congestion on the A36 by providing a park and ride rail service to Salisbury, it will provide a station to the Wilton area and the new housing coming up there and it will provide a sustainable gateway to Stonehenge.

“If you look at the new services proposed in the timetables coming forward in both South West Trains and Great Western Railways, there is a unique situation where we have a number of trains to serve the proposed station. We have the services and we also have the station site by the Park and Ride where car parking is dramatically under-utilised.

“With the combination of rail services, we could give a 20 minute, or half-hourly, service from Wilton Parkway to Salisbury.

“The existing service from Salisbury to London could be extended to Wilton so it terminated in Wilton rather than Salisbury.

“There are connections through to Bristol and Swindon and the south coast.”

The station is expected to cost around £5.5 million but Mr Johnson said contributions would also come from developers and the government’s Growing Places Fund.

He said: “The next stage is for the local enterprise partnership (LEP) to promote the scheme and resolve the funding needs.

“We are hopeful that the franchise – either South West Trains or Great Western Railway – will welcome the opportunity and have options to deliver the services.

“Wiltshire Council and the LEP need to work with Network Rail to develop a plan on how a station would be delivered and funded in addition to working on the site as a whole incorporating the housing, hotel and station.”

TransWilts CIC’s remit involves the development of public transport rail and buses in Wiltshire.

It is also looking into the possibilities of a station at Porton Science Park.

The time it would take to get from Wilton Parkway to: Salisbury: five minutes, Swindon: 70 minutes, Warminster: 17 minutes, Bristol: 62 minutes, London Waterloo: 93 minutes, Southampton: 35 minutes and Cardiff: 120 minutes.