Passengers seek pledge on Bicester rail link services (From The Oxford Times)

Passengers seek pledge on Bicester rail link services

11:10am Saturday 13th February 2010 in

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Rail passengers using the line between Oxford and Bicester Town are calling for guarantees on local services after the route is incorporated into Chiltern Railways’ new Oxford-London main line.

The number of commuters has grown since First Great Western introduced extra trains last May, with financial support from Oxfordshire Country Council.

However, FGW’s services are set to end in the middle of next year, to allow engineers working on Chiltern’s £250m Evergreen3 enhancement scheme to begin work to turn the route into a 100mph main line by May 2013.

The closure is expected to last at least nine months and Chiltern is not obliged to reinstate the current number of local stopping trains once work is complete.

The Office for Rail Regulation only requires FGW to operate eight or nine weekday services and 13 on Saturdays. The enhanced timetable sees 11 or 12 trains on weekdays and nine on Sundays.

The Oxford-Bicester Rail Action Group (Obrag) says the extra trains have been a success, with the key 7.57am commuter service from Bicester Town to Oxford full after it calls at Islip.

Chiltern says that some of its trains will serve Islip but it will develop a detailed timetable only when it has secured formal permission for the line upgrade.

Obrag chairman Dr Ian East said passengers opposed any reduction in local journey opportunities, particularly at Islip, because many more trains would be running once Chiltern’s half-hourly Oxford-London service was launched.

He said cuts would be “unjust” and added: “No-one at Islip will use the new station at Water Eaton.

“By the time they fought their way there through congestion, they could be in Oxford anyway.”

Dr East added: “Obrag has proposed to the Department for Transport that the required minimum service level at both Bicester Town and Islip be raised to the current enhanced level.”

Nick Cottam, of consultant ERM, which is working on the project for Chiltern, said the timing of the end of FGW’s Oxford-Bicester service would depend on the progress of a public inquiry, due to be held in the autumn, but it was hoped to begin work on the line by summer next year.

He added: “The aim is to complete the work as speedily and efficiently as possible, to minimise the interruption to train services and to start earning money to pay for the project.”

Dr East said: “Our membership is, not surprisingly, very concerned about the closure, but we accept that Chiltern has every motivation to get the work done as quickly as possible.”

During the closure, trains are expected to be replaced with buses. Obrag is asking people to vote at its website on what services they want to see, whether there should be a dedicated service, or whether tickets should be valid on normal timetabled buses serving Bicester and Islip and on trains via Banbury.

• Full details of the project and the related Transport and Public Works Act application are online at Chiltern's Evergreen3 project website.

Comments on the TPWA application must be received by the Department for Transport by Wednesday.