NEWS that a funding deal has been agreed for the East West Rail link has been welcomed as a major boost to train travel for Oxfordshire.

Local authorities gathered in Westminster earlier this week to agree to pay nearly £45m towards the project.

It means the funding for the scheme has now been agreed, with the Government already pledging £500m and the Office of Rail Regulation approving the project earlier this month.

A spokesman for the East West Rail consortium said there were no more financial hurdles to be cleared, and added that surveying and environmental impact work would be carried out before construction starts, although a date has not been set.

Hugh Jaeger, of the Thames Valley branch of RailFuture, said: “This is great news – now let’s get on with it.

“We are enthusiastic for this line to be built as soon as possible.

“The business case for East West Rail is one of the strongest for any rail project anywhere. For Oxfordshire, East West Rail is more important than HS2.”

As well as the East West Rail scheme, Network Rail has agreed to redevelop Oxford station to the tune of £70m.

Rodney Rose, the deputy leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: “Work is already progressing and the councils along the route are doing work on diverting rights of way and working on bridges.

“The importance of this route is that it will link with the west coast main line so you can run a direct freight train from Southampton to Manchester without stopping.

“Oxford will be the absolute hub of rail.”

He added that engineering company Atkins has already been hired to draw up a route between Bedford and Cambridge, but this would be more complex as the old track has since been built on.

The county council pledged to spend £11.1m over 15 years while another six local authorities in the Thames Valley – including Cherwell District Council – agreed to pay a combined £34m.

Oxford City Council declined to contribute towards the scheme because its leader Bob Price said he could not see the benefits of it to the city.

The scheme, which will link Oxford’s rail network to Milton Keynes and Bedford, is expected to open by December 2017.

It comes as Chiltern Railways begins work on its new commuter link from Oxford to London Marylebone via Bicester.

The link, due to open in 2016, will include a new station at Water Eaton near Kidlington and at Bicester, and improvements at Islip.

Ian East, of the Oxford to Bicester Rail Action Group, said: “We can look forward to new destinations and that is all good news. It is good to be building railway lines once again.”