Rail line to reopen after 60 years in £120m project

The rail line, which has been closed to the public for 60 years, will include a new station in LIttlemore

An Oxford railway line closed to passengers since 1963 is being reopened.

The Cowley Branch Line is currently only used by freight going to and from the BMW Mini Plant, but new stations will be opened in Cowley and Littlemore in south-east Oxford.

The government has pledged £120m in funding, part of a £500m investment in infrastructure to link up Oxford and Cambridge and turn the region into the "European Silicon Valley".

Anneliese Dodds, MP for East Oxford, said the Cowley Branch Line was "finally going to become a reality".

She said it would make a "massive difference to local residents, slashing travel times and reducing congestion".

The county's five Liberal Democrat MPs Freddie van Mierlo, Layla Moran, Charlie Maynard, Olly Glover, and Calum Miller said the "major" announcement reflected "years of campaigning, local partnership and rigorous business-case work".

The government said reopening the line would help create up to 10,000 new jobs.

It will connect Littlemore, Cowley, Blackbird Leys and Greater Leys to central Oxford in under 10 minutes in a twice-hourly passenger service.

Prof Irene Tracey, vice-chancellor of Oxford University, said it would "stitch together" science parks, hospitals and new cultural spaces "so that ideas, researchers and local residents" could move more easily around Oxford and out to London Marylebone.

Oxford City Council leader Susan Brown said: "The Cowley Branch Line is the single most important piece of infrastructure for connecting local communities and businesses in south and east Oxford.

"It will give access to more amenities and jobs, help to cut congestion, meet our climate targets, and unlock new homes and jobs."

Liz Leffman, leader of Oxfordshire County Council, added: "We're delighted that the government has seen the obvious benefits that this project will deliver and the value for money it represents."

Connecting the university cities could create "Europe's Silicon Valley", the chancellor has said

Rob Brighouse, chair of Oxford Strategic Rail Promoters' Group, called it a "once-in-a-generation opportunity and represents great news for those who do, and will, live and work on the route, as well as helping to ease rail capacity constraints through Oxford".

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the government had "massive ambitions for the Oxford-Cambridge corridor".

The government said the investments would also build on its commitment to deliver East West Rail, "which will strengthen links between Oxford and Cambridge, Milton Keynes, Bedford and beyond".

'More sustainable transport'

The Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT), which conducts research into biology, agriculture, climate change, AI and robotics in Oxford, said it could eventually employ up to 7,000 staff, and that the Cowley Branch Line would be "crucial".

EIT said it would "participate with other local stakeholders to provide supplementary funding" of £35m, and design and construct the station at Littlemore.

Sarah Haywood, managing director of Advanced Oxford, which represents science and tech businesses in the region, said it was an "exciting and important boost to the Oxford region".

She said it would help to realise the "full potential" of East-West Rail "cementing the region as a world-class science super-cluster".

Yong Shen, director of the Oxford Science Park, called it a "significant, tangible step towards more sustainable transport options" to the city.

Oxford City Council said work would be carried out to identify the additional infrastructure needed to connect the stations to their local communities.

This could include new bridges, pedestrian and cycle routes, and better links to the bus network, it said.