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Case made in Westminster for Witney railway line

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.Ben Brooksbank
Passenger trains ran between Oxford and Witney until 1962

An Oxfordshire MP has said a railway line between Oxford, Eynsham, Witney and Carterton could cut journey times by up to 70%.

Liberal Democrat Charlie Maynard, representing Witney, warned without the rail link, planned housing growth in the area would cause an "unsustainable long-term problem".

On Wednesday he held a debate in Westminster Hall calling for investment in the proposals.

In response a transport minister said there were "significant challenges" with the project, particularly around cost - reported to be around £600m to take the line to Carterton North.

Trains ran between Oxford and Witney until 1962, when the line was shut as part of a swathe of closures across the country.

parliament.tv The Liberal Democrat MP for Witney, Charlie Maynard, speaks at a Westminster Hall debate about a rail link betweenparliament.tv
Witney MP Charlie Maynard warned journeys between Witney and Oxford would take an extra 30 minutes by 2031 without a railway line

Mr Maynard suggested reintroducing the line could be partly funded via private landowners and developers, in exchange for allowing new homes to be built around stations.

"That might sound radical, that's what our Victorian forebears did 150 years ago, it's what Japan, Korea and Hong Kong do, it's what much of Northern Europe does," he said.

He said that housing development would be more readily accepted in the area if investment in rail came alongside it.

But he warned that without the rail link, journeys by road between Oxford and Witney would take an extra half an hour by 2031.

"We will be delivering on our side of the bargain of getting all those houses into West Oxfordshire in a coherent and sensible way," he said.

"Because without a railway solution we will not have that solution and we will have an unsustainable and long term problem."

WOT / GOOGLEEARTH A google earth satellite picture shows the potential route the rail link could take, going from Oxford to a new station in Eynsham, crossing under the A40 to Witney and going on to Carterton.WOT / GOOGLEEARTH
Re-establishing a rail link between Oxford and Witney - and extending it to Carterton North - would cost around £600m, according to Charlie Maynard MP.

Transport minister Lilian Greenwood raised concerns about cost in her response during the debate.

She said other projects that were further along the planning process were already under scrutiny because of concerns about funding.

"The government has been forced to look again at the economic inheritance left by the last government," she said.

"And the Secretary of State has announced her intention to conduct... and indeed it's ongoing, a thorough review of the previous government's transport plans."

But despite the project facing "significant challenges" she said she hoped those backing the idea would not give up on it.

She said: "I therefore encourage the Honourable Member to continue to work with his local authorities and stakeholders to develop the proposal further and I absolutely commend the work that he's doing to pursue alternative funding sources."

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