The Basingstoke to Reading railway line is already congested and cannot take another station, dealing a blow to hopes for a new station in Chineham, a meeting has been told.

The idea of having a railway station at Chineham has long been discussed, with conversations stretching back decades.

Earlier this year, a senior councillor said plans for a station there were “gaining traction”.

But its future is now uncertain after a Chineham ward councillor said that a new station further up the line has been prioritised.

Speaking at a meeting of the council’s EPH committee last week, Cllr Jenny Vaux said: “When we have asked about it, we have been told there is insufficient capacity on the line and another station closer to Reading has been prioritised.

"The line cannot take another stop and is congested already.”

Other than Basingstoke, the only station on the line in the borough is Bramley.

Building and implementing Chineham station is on a list of infrastructure projects that Basingstoke council will set aside money contributed by housing developers.

However, it needs to be approved by railway bosses, with other plans for a new station at Oakley also thought to be stumbling because of capacity issues further up the line at Clapham Junction.

Speaking of the views of people who live in Chineham, Cllr Vaux added that it was a “frequent topic of discussion locally”.

“There are people for it and against it, because it will bring traffic into the area and we already have too much,” she continued.