THE public inquiry into Chiltern Railway’s £260m Oxford-Bicester-London rail link will start on November 2.
Operator Chiltern Railways wants to start running services from Oxford to London Marylebone, and build a new station at Water Eaton park-and-ride as part of the project.
Part of the plans will see Bicester Town Station re-built and the journey from Bicester to Oxford reduced to just 14 minutes.
The inquiry will take place at the Oxford Conference Centre, Park End Street, Oxford.
Allan Dare, Chiltern’s strategic development manager, said: “An inquiry is standard practice for projects like Evergreen 3, even though there has been overwhelming support for the scheme. Meanwhile, we are still talking to objectors to try to resolve any outstanding issues.”
Chiltern Railways is currently preparing a statement of case for the Bicester-to-Oxford improvement plans, which is due to be submitted by August 6.
A pre-inquiry meeting will take place on September 7, and anyone who wants to make representation at the inquiry can attend.
The inquiry is expected to last about six weeks.
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