A new foot crossing under, or over the tracks at Swindon Railway Station, more car parking and improved information screens at the station are all on the council’s wishlist.

Two members of the borough council’s cabinet went to parliament to speak to senior staff at Network Rail which owns tracks and stations and railway service providers Great Western Railway.

The member for transport and the environment Maureen penny, and for the town centre, Dale Heenan had discussions with Mark Hopwood, the managing director of GWR and Mark Langham, boss of Network Rail Wales & Western at the House of Commons.

Coun Penny said “I have met GWR and Network Rail several times over the last 12 months, and I am determined to keep making the case for them to invest more in Swindon.

“Lobbying is about getting to the very people that can influence and who have the power to make decisions that will help what we as Councillors are trying to achieve for the town in which we live. I am keen that both GWR and Network Rail understands what the people of Swindon see as priorities for both the station and our rail services.

“I had a lot of good positive conversations, but the priority for me is pushing for visible progress on improving their carpark capacity, creating a new footway across or under the railway line between North Star and Station Road, and improvements to the train station.

“ A personal quick win for me has been agreement to install a new screen in the train station which will display bus time information. A properly integrated transport approach is good news for passengers and local businesses, but also good news for the environment.”

Coun Heenan said he concentrated on some of the holdings Network Rail has in the town centre: “A lot of what we do as councillors happens in the background, and our role is often about influencing the right people. The opportunity to directly meet with the directors for the benefit of Swindon is something you have to say yes to.

“I focused on the Network Rail-owned Signal Point building, future station redevelopment, the Reading to Heathrow rail link, and continued to lobby for direct debits to be introduced for commuters who buy season tickets.

“Our meetings were very positive, and the directors were well briefed so I look forward to GWR, Network Rail and the council building on the discussions, and commitments made. Real change takes time, and I hope local residents and business will start to see the benefit of our good working relationship soon.”