COMMUTERS and rail bosses have welcomed the completion of the new track between Oxford station and Oxford Parkway that will signal the start of a new service in December.

The final pieces of track were laid earlier this week and Chiltern Railways confirmed two trains per hour would begin running between Oxford station and London Marylebone as scheduled from December 12.

The line has now been transformed from a 20-40mph branch line into a 100mph main line route by Network Rail's orange army.

During the work, which was originally meant to be completed in the spring, residents in the village of Islip and further afield at Bicester have had to catch a bus between Oxford Parkway and Oxford since the new station opened in October.

Islip resident Henrietta Leyser, and former chairman of the Oxford to Bicester Rail Action Group, said completion of the work was "wonderful news."

She said: "I am absolutely delighted the track has been completed.

"We have had to get the train to Oxford Parkway and then catch a bus through Summertown to make it to Oxford.

"The problem has been timings - you end up missing the train or getting there ridiculously early."

The retired History lecturer, who has lived in Islip for more than 50 years, said the link was vital to reducing traffic on the roads.

She said: "There are way too many cars on the road in Oxfordshire and the A34 in particular is awful.

"The route will eventually go out to Bletchley and we need more trains and to more connected to encourage people to use them.

"When I first moved to the village we had a train to Cambridge and I've seen the line close completely and now it's great to see it being revived."

A dispute over measuring and installing noise and vibration had delayed the project by more than six months.

Now that the track has been laid, signalling and work to extend the platforms at Oxford need to be completed before a soft launch with a reduced timetable on December 11.

Chiltern Railways managing director, Dave Penney, said: "With the track now laid from our new station Oxford Parkway through to Oxford city centre, we can look forward to the first trains running.

"The new rail line will bring significant social, economic and environmental benefits to those living and working along the route and will be the completion of the first new rail link between a major British city and London for more than 100 years."

It will also bring an end to East West Rail phase one between Oxford and Bicester.

Funding and planning permission still needs to be sorted for phase two from Bicester to Bletchley, which – originally planned for 2017 – has been delayed to 2024.