The proposal was made as part of Wokingham’s local plan update, which outlines where new homes could be built in the borough of Wokingham.

A key feature of Twyford Gardens would be the construction of an entirely new station, which would be on the Reading to London Paddington train line and serve the new community.

But Twyford already has a station along this line.

READ MORE: Twyford Gardens: The Pros and Cons of 2,500 House Plans

Streamlining the proposal for a second station in the village, the Twyford Gardens development website says: ‘Twyford will soon host the only Elizabeth Line station in the borough of Wokingham.

“The Elizabeth Line will increase rail capacity, offering direct services to central London and beyond for the first time.

“However, Twyford station is not expected to receive significant investment or upgrades to cope with the likely increase in passenger demand.

“Twyford Gardens would provide a new railway station for the borough. It would be an additional stop for Elizabeth Line and Great Western Railway services with up to eight services per hour as well as an interchange for local buses.

“A new station would relieve pressure on the facilities and car park of the existing Twyford station, which would continue to operate alongside the new station.”

CGI of the master plan for the development of 2,500 Twyford Gardens homes. Credit: Berkeley Group

But any new station would need to be built with the help of Network Rail, which runs the national rail network, and Great Western Railway and Transport for London, which runs rail services through the existing Twyford station.

A Network Rail spokesman expressed skepticism about the Twyford Gardens station proposal.

They said: “While we welcome the proposals to open new stations and improve services for passengers and communities in Berkshire, the opening of a new station at Twyford is not currently in any of our plans. future.

“The project to set up this new station is delicate, both physically and in terms of integration with the timetable.

“Our preference would be to work with the developers to upgrade the existing Twyford rail station to provide better connectivity to the new development and the center of Reading.”

Network Rail’s response could be seen as another blow to the Twyford Gardens proposal, which was also not chosen as a housing development location in the local plan update, partly because it would involve building on the London Metropolitan Greenbelt.

READ MORE: Key sites revealed as part of Wokingham local plan update

However, Berkeley Group hopes its plan will be reviewed after Wokingham Borough Council planners make any revisions to the local plan update following the consultation process, which ended at 5pm on Monday January 24.

Earlier, a Berkeley Group spokesperson said Twyford Gardens would relieve pressure from housing development south of Wokingham.

The Berkeley Group is currently conducting a private consultation on their plan, accessible here: https://twyfordgardens.co.uk/next-steps-and-feedback/