Oxford to Witney railway: Reviving line could cost £900m, council study finds

A railway which closed more than 60 years ago could be brought back for an estimated £900m, according to a new council study.

The report looked at the feasibility of a route connecting Carterton, Witney and Eynsham to Oxford.

It was commissioned by Oxfordshire County Council after the Witney Oxford Transport Group proposed the 14.2-mile (22.9km) railway line n 2021.

The first phase of the project could be delivered by 2033.

The transport group proposed a junction on the existing Cotswold Line at Yarnton to Carterton.

The council study showed building a rail link would reduce journey times for rail users in the county but it also identified planning and environmental issues.

Councillor Judy Roberts, member for infrastructure and development strategy, said: "The work so far shows that this transformational project would be possible and could provide potentially significant transport and other benefits in the longer-term, in line with our policies to improve public transport.

"However, it would also come at a very significant cost, as well as having wider planning considerations, which we would need to discuss with West Oxfordshire District Council and other partners."

Councillor Andy Graham, leader of West Oxfordshire District Council, said: "There is much work to be done and we will need to create the framework to ensure it is fully costed as an investment that will make a difference to the lives of our residents and address current and future employment.

"It is not what we do for ourselves today but what we leave for future generations."

The council has said funding of this significance would need to come mainly from central government.

The service between Witney and Oxford used to operate on the Fairford Branch Line until 1962 but was just one of many subsequent closures that took place in the 1960s.

It followed cuts introduced by Richard Beeching, then chair of the British Railways Board, that saw a mass axing of local railway lines and stations in an attempt to increase the efficiency of the nationalised railway system.

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