Wot no Devizes Parkway?

 


Interesting choice of 11 places - how have GWR come up with those?

I tend to look at things with a Wiltshirecentric view.  My home town of Melksham has had perhaps 1000 new homes in the past five years, and it's expected there will be a further 3000 to 4000 in the next dozen years or so. I'm not sure what "vicinity of the station" means, but 68.5 acre has been sold off by Cooper Tires really close to the station, and the upside yard, Avonside proposal and Library site are all very close. We look pretty impressive against some of the officially chosen ...


Not a single new station in Wiltshire.  A co-incidence in this planning period?   I don't think so - the last brand new station to open in Wiltshire was in 1937, and there was a single re-opening of a 1966 closure in 1985.

And I have mirrored the report for members at https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/mirror/growing_places_report_2026.pdf in case it goes off GWR in due course.

 
GWR have released a report, with case study of 11 stations, regarding growth (economic, housing and jobs)

https://www.gwr.com/-/media/gwr-sc-website/files/publications/growing-places-report-2026.pdf

Has some interesting charts on page 13 which unless I am misreading them seem to suggest office growth is expected to be lot faster in South West than South East.

I am still trying to comprehend if it is basically a nudge to Government saying we need to expand railway away from London, specifically in South west (rather than London & SE or north), or what else it is trying to achieve.

There is even a section on pollution, but doesn't seem to offer a solution, guess they can't move the 387s or utilise surplus 350/2 due to Bristol being a non electrified railway.   Not clear to me if it is saying we are held back by not being an electrified railway, or if it is saying aren't we clever for just about managing.