overthere 2
On Moderation
There has been a couple of specific discussions about the reopening of the Oxford - Witney line once in 2012 and once in 2022. They seem to have been merged together so therefore to get a time line and continuity you might first want to read them as Part 1 here: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/re-opening-oxford-to-witney.58953/ and then carry on reading the rest of this thread as part 2.
Post #38 from the above link
No plans confirmed for now, yes, but lots of proposals exist to reopen.
Oh and let's not forget this:
This popped up recently and I assume it is the report that is talked about from post #38 in the other thread:
A feasibility study stating the case for a railway route connecting Carterton, Witney, and Eynsham to Oxford has been published in full.
The preliminary strategic outline case for the Carterton-Witney-Oxford Rail Corridor (CWORC) was commissioned by Oxfordshire County Council, following proposals from the Witney Oxford Transport Group.
The aim was to establish if there is a case for building the proposed railway line, what the benefits could be and to give an indication of the likely investment required.
Details were released earlier this year, along with the summary reports. The full reports, which have now been updated are available to read (see Downloads right).
Councillor Judy Roberts, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Development Strategy, said: “We committed to undertake a study to explore the potential for a new rail link to serve West Oxfordshire, which we have done. The work so far shows that this transformational project would be possible and could provide potentially significant transport and other benefits in the longer-term, in line with our policies to improve public transport.
“However, it would also come at a very significant cost, as well as having wider planning considerations, which we would need to discuss with West Oxfordshire District Council and other partners.”
The study has shown that building a rail link would be feasible and could be justified in transport strategy terms but identifies planning and environmental issues.
It also warns about the high financial cost and difficulty involved in undertaking such a project. However, if it went ahead, it is predicted to be profitable.
Other key findings include:
It would, therefore, be a long-term project and would also depend on other rail improvements being funded and completed, including the planned upgrade to the North Cotswold Line, which the county council remains committed to.
Funding for a rail project of this significance would mainly need to come from central government.
Councillor Andy Graham, Leader of West Oxfordshire District Council, said: “We welcome the feasibility study and partnership opportunities to bring an ambitious project to fruition with the county council and other stakeholders.
“There is much work to be done and we will need to create the framework to ensure it is fully costed as an investment that will make a difference to the lives of our residents and address current and future employment. It is not what we do for ourselves today but what we leave for future generations.”
The three part report here:
https://news.oxfordshire.gov.uk/dow...a256ed9/2213-410-003cworcsummaryv2-0final.pdf
https://news.oxfordshire.gov.uk/dow.../2213-410-001cworcsoc-litereportv2-0final.pdf
https://news.oxfordshire.gov.uk/dow...914/2213-410-002cworcengineeringv2-0final.pdf
For those whos favourite words are: "Dont spend money on heavy rail, spend it on buses or light rail" I would say read from page 8 to page 15 in link 2 (page numbers in the documents NOT the scroll page numbers at top of page) to see why heavy rail is the right solution pretty much every time also I think this:
From top of page 11
Especially in a relatively-rich area such as this, tram, tram-train and heavy rail are all perceived more highly than bus, even though the level and quality of bus service in this corridor is high.
sums up that if a railway is being looked at for reopening and you have the following options:
1 - Re-open as preferably a heavy rail
2 - Run some extra and/or fast buses
3- Forget it altogether
Then really the only options are 1 or 3 as most car drivers are not going to use a bus.
Post #38 from the above link
Are you sure about that?
No plans confirmed for now, yes, but lots of proposals exist to reopen.
Oh and let's not forget this:
Bid for new Oxford to Witney railway line study to be submitted
A transport group wants to investigate building a new line between Oxford and Witney.Hence why I thought I would speculate the benefits, costs, analysis of this project by starting this thread! And also what services would have the most patronage
This popped up recently and I assume it is the report that is talked about from post #38 in the other thread:
Oxford, Witney and Carterton rail link feasibility study is published in full
A feasibility study stating the case for a railway route connecting Carterton, Witney, and Eynsham to Oxford has been published in full.The preliminary strategic outline case for the Carterton-Witney-Oxford Rail Corridor (CWORC) was commissioned by Oxfordshire County Council, following proposals...Oxford, Witney and Carterton rail link feasibility study is published in full
A feasibility study stating the case for a railway route connecting Carterton, Witney, and Eynsham to Oxford has been published in full.
The preliminary strategic outline case for the Carterton-Witney-Oxford Rail Corridor (CWORC) was commissioned by Oxfordshire County Council, following proposals from the Witney Oxford Transport Group.
The aim was to establish if there is a case for building the proposed railway line, what the benefits could be and to give an indication of the likely investment required.
Details were released earlier this year, along with the summary reports. The full reports, which have now been updated are available to read (see Downloads right).
Councillor Judy Roberts, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Development Strategy, said: “We committed to undertake a study to explore the potential for a new rail link to serve West Oxfordshire, which we have done. The work so far shows that this transformational project would be possible and could provide potentially significant transport and other benefits in the longer-term, in line with our policies to improve public transport.
“However, it would also come at a very significant cost, as well as having wider planning considerations, which we would need to discuss with West Oxfordshire District Council and other partners.”
The study has shown that building a rail link would be feasible and could be justified in transport strategy terms but identifies planning and environmental issues.
It also warns about the high financial cost and difficulty involved in undertaking such a project. However, if it went ahead, it is predicted to be profitable.
Other key findings include:
- Predicted journey times of 23 minutes from Carterton to Oxford, 16 minutes from Witney and 11 minutes from Eynsham. This represents journey time savings of more than 70 per cent.
- Considerations of other alternate transport modes, with the conclusion that rail is best placed to deliver the necessary journey time savings and additional capacity.
- The first phase of the railway could be delivered by 2033 at the earliest.
It would, therefore, be a long-term project and would also depend on other rail improvements being funded and completed, including the planned upgrade to the North Cotswold Line, which the county council remains committed to.
Funding for a rail project of this significance would mainly need to come from central government.
Councillor Andy Graham, Leader of West Oxfordshire District Council, said: “We welcome the feasibility study and partnership opportunities to bring an ambitious project to fruition with the county council and other stakeholders.
“There is much work to be done and we will need to create the framework to ensure it is fully costed as an investment that will make a difference to the lives of our residents and address current and future employment. It is not what we do for ourselves today but what we leave for future generations.”
The three part report here:
https://news.oxfordshire.gov.uk/dow...a256ed9/2213-410-003cworcsummaryv2-0final.pdf
https://news.oxfordshire.gov.uk/dow.../2213-410-001cworcsoc-litereportv2-0final.pdf
https://news.oxfordshire.gov.uk/dow...914/2213-410-002cworcengineeringv2-0final.pdf
For those whos favourite words are: "Dont spend money on heavy rail, spend it on buses or light rail" I would say read from page 8 to page 15 in link 2 (page numbers in the documents NOT the scroll page numbers at top of page) to see why heavy rail is the right solution pretty much every time also I think this:
From top of page 11
Especially in a relatively-rich area such as this, tram, tram-train and heavy rail are all perceived more highly than bus, even though the level and quality of bus service in this corridor is high.
sums up that if a railway is being looked at for reopening and you have the following options:
1 - Re-open as preferably a heavy rail
2 - Run some extra and/or fast buses
3- Forget it altogether
Then really the only options are 1 or 3 as most car drivers are not going to use a bus.