Oxford station's £161m expansion plan backed

Funding for the improvements was approved by the Department for Transport in May

A £161m plan to build a fifth platform and a new entrance at Oxford station has been supported by councillors.

Network Rail wants to build the new platform on the station's west side and will bid for further funding from the Department for Transport (DfT).

Pending that funding, which is expected in spring 2022, the redevelopment could be completed by the end of 2024.

The operator said it will start work on a business case to reopen the city's Cowley Branch Line to passengers.

Oxford City Council's planning committee approved Network Rail's prior approval application at a meeting on Tuesday.

The redevelopment would include the new platform, a second station entrance, a ticket office and shops.

A new, wider rail bridge would also be built over Botley Road.

It would provide direct services to the east of the city on the Oxford to Milton Keynes-Bedford line.

Passengers from Oxford station might be able to get on the Cowley Branch Line every half an hour if plans are realised

Mike Gallop, Network Rail's western route and strategic operations director, said: "Our plans are vital for the future development of the city, but also stretch much wider around the county and supporting economic growth across the country."

Oxfordshire councils and MPs have called for the Cowley Branch Line to reopen for years.

It was shut to passengers in 1963 and is used for freight going to and from Cowley's Mini plant.

Proposals include two new stations at Oxford Business Park and Oxford Science Park with services potentially operating every half an hour.

Duncan Enright, Oxfordshire County Council's cabinet member for travel and development strategy, said: "We are like passengers waiting on the platform, tapping our toes in impatience for the re-opening of the Cowley Branch Line to passengers.

"We hope that current work will crack on at a good pace."