though I can't actually find Whiteway Farm on a map.  

THE capital of the Cotswolds may soon have its first train link in 50 years.

Early plans are afoot to reopen the defunct line between Cirencester and Kemble, serviced by an ultra-modern, eco-friendly train.

Cirencester's Mayor Cllr Mark Harris is spearheading the innovative project along with Richard and Jane Gunner, of Whiteway Farm, to lay 5km of track from the commuter station to the edge of the proposed Chesterton development.

At a Cotswold District Council (CDC) cabinet meeting in April, Cllr Harris and Kemble councillor Tony Berry laid out the vision to fellow members, saying a car park could be laid under electricity pylons in Cirencester and a regular bus route could ferry passengers to the town centre.

They explained the proposal was being driven by Warwick University, among others, where researchers were keen to test a new driverless ^very light train^ train it is developing.

It is hoped funding could come from county business promoter GFrist LEP^» (Local Enterprise Partnership - about), the EU^» (European Union - about) or other funding bodies.

Cllr Harris told the Standard that proposals were in their early stages but if everything went to plan trains could be whistling along the track in three to five years.

^We^re lucky that it is already very flat, though there is still a lot of work to do, including putting up a bridge over the Kemble road,^ he said.

^But it would reduce the need for parking, reduce cars on the road, and allow people in Cirencester to get to places like Gloucester and Stroud much more easily.^

Around 1,700 more travel in to Cirencester every day than travel out, creating congestion on the roads and pressure on parking.

A new train line with carriages able to fit around 100 people could ease these problems, while giving commuters a fast link to London.

Cirencester station was closed as part of the Beeching Report in the 1960s, along with thousands of smaller stations across the country deemed ^unprofitable^. The former station in Sheep Street was one of the 2,128 which closed.

Mayor Harris and the Gunners are meeting with the team from Warwick University and Geoffrey Clifton Brown to discuss the idea. He hopes a cycle track could accompany the line if plans go ahead.

The move received tentative support from CDC deputy leader Nicholas Parsons who said it was ^an interesting concept^.

Many other other groups in Cirencester have also voiced their support for the project.

They hope the move will bring down the Cotswolds^ carbon footprint while taking cars off the road.

To find out more about the project go to cirentrain.org.uk.

The comedian is in his element pootling around railways with a flat cap and a boyish grin. The secret stations are Britain^s 152 request stops, beginning with Attadale on the shore of Loch Carron in the Scottish Highlands. After learning that a Victorian opium dealer turned MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) had it built to serve his 30,000-acre estate, Merton attempts to artificially inseminate a wild salmon, which proves fertile ground for gags but less so for the poor fish.

His second stop is less enticing: Drigg on the scenic Cumbrian Coast Line, a low-level repository for the nearby nuclear power station where the grassy fields are actually a graveyard for radioactive waste. There^s also a trip to Ferryside in west Wales, where Merton pulls some levers at one of the few remaining manually operated signal boxes, and comes over all nostalgic.

Summary

The comedian takes a tour of Britain's 152 request stop railway stations to find out why they are there, who uses them, and the history of the area, with the aid of experts and enthusiasts. Paul begins his journey in the Scottish Highlands, stopping at Attadale to visit Lochcaroon and a local salmon farm. He then takes a trip on the Cumbrian Coast Line, getting off at Drigg and Silecroft, where he meets a group of fell runners. Finally, he visits Ferryside in Pembrokeshire and St Keyne Wishing Well Halt in Cornwall.

A railway station could be ready for Corsham as soon as 2019, according to the chairman of the town^s train group project.

61 years after the station closed, momentum towards reopening it is accelerating down the track following the formation of a working group in the town late last month.

Corsham Town Council, MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) for Corsham Michelle Donelan, Corsham Institute and the TransWilts Community Rail Partnership among others formed in late March to build a compelling region-wide case for reopening the station.

Forecasts from a Wiltshire Council study, the Atkins report, indicate that a Corsham station could carry up to 400,000 passengers a year with an identified for journeys [sic] to and from Bath and Bristol and Wiltshire too.

^We are really delighted by the amount of support we have received, both from Westminster and closer to home, the process is accelerating along nicely,^ said Councillor Peter Pearson, who is chairing the group.

^We cannot accelerate any more than we are. It is progressing nicely. At the earliest it could be ready for 2019 but more realistically between 2019 and 2021.

^This would be a hugely beneficial project to Wiltshire and further-a-field. We have a strong economic case here. A report will go to National Rail, who would fund it, in about 16 weeks.

^This has been in the public eye ever since it closed but now we are taking action. We are at stage two with the Governance for Rail Investment Projects (GRIP^▸ (Guide to Railway Investment Projects)) process. It will not happen overnight but positive steps are being made.^

The need for a station could be accelerated with the news that Corsham has been earmarked to have a ^40m Ministry of Defence cyber security hub ^ creating jobs, more investment and a potential influx

Ms Donelan said: ^Surveys have shown record levels of demand for wanting a station, more than 80 per cent. On top of the MOD news, there is a huge case for this anyway.

^We do have a very pro-rail government. It is about persuading network rail that this is a viable but also a profitable enterprise and service. I have mentioned this several times in Parliament. We are trying to set up a meeting with the department of transport again.

^This is a local and a regional campaign with a lot of benefits and there is a lot of goodwill behind this project. I am confident we can push this forward but it is not an easy process, it is costly, time consuming but very worthwhile.^

Wiltshire Council said after the Atkins report: "An initial analysis indicates it could be viable to introduce a new hourly train service between Bristol and Swindon to serve a new Corsham Station, with possible extensions to Oxford or Cardiff.

"Four possible service options have been tested: a new service from Bristol Temple Meads to Swindon; a new service from Bristol Temple Meads to Oxford; a new service from Cardiff Central to Swindon and an extension of the MetroWest service from Bath Spa to Chippenham."

This made me laugh - what a random (thread) distraction!