A feasibility study commissioned by Oxfordshire County Council has now been published, setting out a preliminary strategic outing for a rail corridor between Carterton, Witney, and Eynsham to Oxford
Carterton-Witney-Oxford Rail Corridor (CWORC) aims to establish the need for the line alongside creating an idea of likely cost. The study was created following proposals made by the Witney Oxford Transport Group.
The study reveals that building the rail link would be both workable and justified in terms of transport strategy however has also found potential planning and environmental issues.
The study also conveys the large investment required alongside difficulties the project could face. It also shows that it would be predicted as being a profitable venture.
The rail corridor would see journeys both to and from Oxford made in just 23 minutes from Carterton, 16 minutes from Witney and 11 minutes from Eynsham (subject to detailed track assessment and platform capacity).
Should the rail link be given the go-ahead, it would save members of the public approximately 1 hour when compared to predicted bus and car travel times in 2031.
Building the rail corridor would see huge construction costs, with estimates in the report coming in between £700 and £900 million.
The development of the line would also likely be completed in phases however, no route has been selected at this point.
The overall project has been set out as being long term in the study and would be dependent on several factors, including the funding and completion of rail improvement, such as the planned upgrade for the North Cotswold Line.
Strong support for the study and work to explore the potential new rail link has been given by the West Oxfordshire District Council.
Councillor Duncan Enright, Oxfordshire County Council's Cabinet Member for Travel and Development Strategy, said: “We are delighted to see the publication of this study exploring future sustainable options for transport between West Oxfordshire and Oxford.”
“We really hope that it will prompt much-needed government investment into ambitious rail enhancement in Oxfordshire and take pressure off the overstretched A40. A rail link could save more than one million car miles and 100 tonnes of carbon emissions from car use every year as well as making travel easier for commuters and other visitors.”
Councillor Andy Graham, Leader of West Oxfordshire District Council, said“We declared a climate emergency in 2019 and reducing our carbon emissions from road-based transport is vital if we are to meaningfully tackle the emergency and help meet the 2050 national zero target.”
“The county council's A40 improvement programmes will clearly go a long way towards improving opportunities for walking, cycling and public transport through bus priority measures and enhanced cycle and pedestrian routes. However, it is sensible to consider what more can potentially be done in the longer term, including the part that a rail-based solution could possibly play.”
Very good idea. Plus that line with the single track could be upgraded to double track if that’s possible.
More Railways for the south, what about the north with the Colne to Skipton reopening, that has the highest return on investment of any proposed reopening.
What about the Hellifield to Clitheroe line, it’s only 12 miles the rail line is still there but takes you around 3.1/2 hours to travel between them by train between them by normal train services, the daft thing is in 2023 we have more Steam service on that 12 miles than normal service trains, and reopening this section would take no more than a few extra trains and route learning.
A new west Oxfordshire rail link between Carterton, Eynsham, Witney and Oxford would complement the reinstated Oxford – Cambridge rail route and greatly enhance the economic prospects of the region. However, money has been wasted on many such studies which lack any real commitment by governments to see them through. Britain’s ‘first past the post’ electoral system means that there is no incentive for political parties to plan for 30, or even 5 years into the future, and we have a dismal record of the curtailment and cancellation of such investment schemes.
Are there any old disused rail lines along proposed routes?
Yes, trains ran on the Fairford branch from Oxford although neither Eynsham nor Witney stations were very central to their communities, so that the busses were much more convenient. Lovely idea . . .
No sh*t, Sherlock. There’s nothing new here that we didn’t know 15 years ago, but no-one wanted to bite the bullet and just get on with doing it, opting instead for half baked plans for a park and ride at Eynsham, and a bus lane to Wolvercote, where the busses will grind to a halt along with the rest of the traffic, and upgrading a section of A40 to dual carriageway, the only outcome of which will be to move the bottleneck a bit closer to Oxford. Anyone with a brain cell could see long ago that building a rail link was the only viable solution.