On Friday, I welcomed East West Rail’s senior management back to Bicester to sit down with local councillors and discuss their work on the London Road level crossing.
Further studies have concluded that signalling improvements will not be enough to keep the current crossing viable once the line is fully operational between Oxford and Cambridge. This does not come as a surprise given we have all known for some time that barrier down time will only increase as more services begin to run.
EWR are continuing their work on two possible new road bridge options. Two locations remain under consideration: one closer to the current crossing and one further to the east. At the same time, EWR are also producing designs for an additional crossing at London Road in the form of either a smaller bridge or underpass. This would enable pedestrians, cyclists and wheelchair users to access the station more easily from the south.
It is clear that more work remains to be done to refine the proposals. None of the options are straightforward and the impact of a new road bridge in the heart of the town will need to be properly considered. I am pleased that residents will be able to see the options for themselves and share their views in a public consultation this summer.
With the first services expected to run between Oxford and Milton Keynes as early as next year, the councillors and I emphasised the need for EWR to implement a viable design as quickly as possible. I will continue to work with our local representatives and my colleagues in Government until a long-term solution is secured.
