Salisbury branch line (Great Western Railway)

In this period the government's policy was that any general area could only support one railway line, and a commission appointed by the Board of Trade would appraise rival proposals and determine which should be permitted.

The Wilts and Somerset Railway company was formed; nominally independent but heavily supported by the GWR.

It planned to make a line from Thingley to Salisbury with branches to Devizes, Bradford on Avon, Frome and Radstock.

The simple scheme to connect Thingley and Salisbury was now to cost £1.5 million, and branches were to be built to Weymouth, Devizes, Bradford on Avon, Radstock, Sherborne and Bridport in addition; a total of 148 miles (238 km) of railway.

Construction of the Westbury to Warminster section started in March 1850, but the company was already running out of money, and in October 1849 the decision had been taken to sell the railway to the GWR; this took legal effect on 3 July 1851.

Local interests were frustrated at the lack of progress towards Salisbury, as well as other routes of the original Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth scheme.

This opened on 1 May 1857 still serving the Milford terminus, but their line was extended to a new station alongside the GWR building at Fisherton Street on 2 May 1859; on the same day the Salisbury and Yeovil Railway, friendly to the LSWR, opened its line using the LSWR station at Salisbury.

[4] An exchange siding was provided at Salisbury, where the transshipment shed was no longer required, but for the time being no through running took place.

That arrangement was rationalised from 28 October 1973 when a junction was installed at the route divergence just east of the Wilton stations, and only the ex-S&YR tracks remained from there to Salisbury.

It was closed for reconstruction from 5 March to 30 April 1994 at a cost of £180,000; calling trains use selective door operation.

It originally had a train shed covering the tracks; the main offices were built of wood on the northbound platform.

A 3+1⁄2-mile (5.6 km) branch line from the northwest end of the station was in use from about 1916 to 1926 to serve the military camp and hospital at Sutton Veny.

The station closed on 19 September 1955 but the signal box, which was opposite the goods shed, remained open until May 1968.

[5] The single platform station at Great Wishford was opened on 30 June 1856, on the left of trains travelling towards Salisbury.

[5] Wilton station opened with the line on 30 June 1856; it had a single platform on the left of trains heading towards Westbury.

When the Salisbury and Yeovil Railway opened its main line in 1859, it provided its own Wilton station a short distance to the south.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel designed a brick-built terminal with a train shed to cover the tracks.

The sidings were then redeveloped as Salisbury traction maintenance depot where South Western Railway maintains its diesel multiple unit fleet.