Newly remodelled forecourt at Salisbury Railway Station provides a "grand entrance to a historic city"

The forecourt at Salisbury Railway Station has been completely transformed, creating a more welcoming, accessible, and vibrant gateway to our historic cathedral city for both visitors and residents, according to Wiltshire Council.

Following a £4.5 million investment from the Future High Streets Fund, the area now features extensive landscaping with new trees and shrubs, stylish street furniture, and intuitive wayfinding to help everyone navigate with ease.

Sustainable travel is at the heart of the redesign, with a new bus interchange and cycle hub making it easier to choose greener transportation options. Safety and comfort are key priorities. The forecourt is now well-lit with a mixture of wall-mounted and pole-mounted lighting, ensuring a secure and pleasant environment for all forecourt users.

The completion of the Salisbury Station Forecourt scheme marks a significant milestone in enhancing connectivity between the station and the city centre. The station forecourt improvements are linked to the Fisherton Gateway scheme, completed last year, which follows the same design principles. Together, they create a route for pedestrians heading to and from the city centre. 

Cllr Martin Smith: Wiltshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways, Streetscene and Flooding, said: “This investment from the Future High Streets Fund has provided Salisbury with a fitting entrance to our historic city and a more welcoming first impression. We hope that as people step off the trains, they feel a sense of arrival and anticipation for the exciting experiences awaiting them in Salisbury.

” Improving this key route from the railway station into the city centre is a key step in supporting the local economy, encouraging sustainable business growth and creating a greater experience for residents and visitors.”

Andrew Ardley, Regional Development Manager (West), South Western Railway, said: “The completion of the forecourt scheme is a major milestone in the ongoing improvements to Salisbury station. It is a genuinely transformational scheme as an interchange between different transport modes, especially train and bus, with several new bus routes in place or planned such as the X3 to Bournemouth. 

“This has been a particularly complex scheme to design and deliver whilst maintaining the operation of the station at all times. Thank you to our customers, staff, transport operators and neighbours for their patience whilst the works were carried out. A special thank you is due to Wiltshire Council for their foresight and determination to secure funding and deliver the scheme, and M Group for working closely with us throughout.”