Concern transport study does not prioritise rail

2 hours ago

Martin Eastaughin Witney

News image — Oxfordshire County County said the study would look at all public transport options to connect Oxford, Eynsham, Witney and Carterton

BBC A train is pulling out of a small rural station and passing under a road bridge. The train is dark green with a yellow section on the front which has GWR printed on it. — Oxfordshire County County said the study would look at all public transport options to connect Oxford, Eynsham, Witney and Carterton

There are concerns a new study into the future for rural transport will not prioritise reopening a railway line that closed in the 1960s.

Oxfordshire County County said the feasibility study would look at all public transport options to connect Oxford, Eynsham, Witney and Carterton.

But campaign group Railfuture Thames Valley said previous reports - including one published last year - suggested a rail link would be the best option.

Cabinet member for transport Gareth Epps said: "We need to set out an option that works now.

"Unfortunately the work that has been done in the past on the railway needs to be brought up to date."

Richard Stow has short grey hair and is wearing a light blue, striped shirt. He is stood on a railway station platform. There is a metal footbridge and a brick station office behind him. — Richard Stow from Rail Futures Thames Valley said heavy rail would deliver a higher volume of traffic than tram and bus systems

The busy A40, which runs through West Oxfordshire, has long been seen as a challenge to growth in the area.

Former Prime Minister and Witney MP David Cameron once described it as a "foot on the windpipe" of west Oxfordshire's economy.

Alongside reopening the railway line, other options up for consideration include light rail, trackless trams and guided busways.

Chair of Railfuture Thames Valley Richard Stow said: "Our concern is that heavy rail has not been prioritised.

"Previously there have been three studies, including the most recent one by the district council, that have come out very heavily in favour of a rail link to Witney and Carterton".

"Clearly rail is a very high capital cost, but the benefits after you've done it are tremendous."

Ben Brooksbank A black and white photo shows an old steam engine pulled up at Witney train station. Passengers are getting on, including a woman with a pram and a family with a young child. — Passenger trains ran between Oxford and Witney until 1962

The Liberal Democrat MP for Witney, Charlie Maynard, described the new report as "the next step up" but added that "a train makes the most sense".

With many thousands more homes proposed for the area, Maynard said: "We need to go much faster... we've got a huge problem and it's only getting worse.

"At peak times busses go, on average, 11mph between Witney and Oxford, so it's already moving like glue.

"You put in nearly 20,000 more homes - that's 45,000 more people - and it goes to gridlock."

Councillor Epps said: "Reversing congestion and improving connectivity won't be easy – but it is essential that we try to address this.

"We need to look at all of the options that there are, taking on board the best practice from other parts of the UK, to come up with a solution that works for the West Oxfordshire area."

You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.