Agenda item

To consider a report to the Growth Board asking it to consider endorsing the next stage of work to be progressed in partnership with Network Rail.

The Panel considered a report – presented by John Disley, Infrastructure Strategy & Policy Manager, Oxfordshire County Council and Andrew Down, Chair of the Executive Officer Group – providing the Growth Board with the final conclusions of the Oxfordshire Rail Corridor Study (ORCS). It built on a previous update in January 2020 and quantified the rail network improvement interventions and projects which would be required to enable connectivity and capacity enhancements.

It was highlighted that:

·           The core proposition made to the Growth Board in January 2020 which set out the need for, and opportunity offered by, an uplift in rail connectivity and capacity across Oxfordshire remained valid.

·           The specific work required to increase connectivity and capacity in the areas of greatest need across the Oxfordshire rail network had now been quantified and outline costs identified. The costs were significant but reflected the amount of investment that would be required to realise the level of ambition expressed.

·           The establishment of the Oxfordshire Connect Programme would enable a plan of investment for the development of rail within the county. The report set out the stages, project milestones and bids for funding that would be involved in its delivery.

·           Key high value for money projects included improvements to infrastructure south of Oxford Station and west of Didcot.

·           While the study had focussed on meeting the needs associated with planned growth in the county, consideration had been given to potential additional growth.

·           Although the study had identified priorities for rail investment, the costs were significant, and no funding had yet been identified. Moreover, the path to delivery would be a complex and long-term process. Nevertheless, Oxfordshire was in a positive position due to its work with partners such as Network Rail and the Department for Transport.

In discussion, several members of the Panel referred to the A40 corridor, reductions in services on the Cotswold Line and the campaign by the Witney to Oxford Transport Group regarding the re-establishment of a train line between Carterton and Oxford. It was also suggested that greater reference could have been made within the report to the potential for new rail lines. In addition, the importance of cross-referencing the ORCS and the emerging Local Transport and Connectivity Plan (LTCP) was highlighted.   

In response, the Panel was informed that the agreed scope and remit of the ORCS was focussed on where investment in existing core infrastructure could make the most impact on supporting planned growth over the current Local Plans period. It, therefore, did not include the consideration of potential new lines. It was also emphasised that if the improvements envisaged in the report were fully realised it would represent a significant achievement. Furthermore, while the issue of future growth needs and the potential for new lines remained open, it was necessary to recognise that improvements to existing rail infrastructure were necessary prerequisites. 

Although the Panel acknowledged these points, several members felt that consideration should be given to the building of new stations on existing lines where large scale developments were already planned.

Members also expressed the view that an objective of improving rail travel was to encourage a modal shift away from the car. They would, therefore, have liked to have seen greater reference made to this within the ORCS study with some analysis of the impacts of new rail provision – for example the opening of Oxford Parkway.

In response, the Panel was informed that there was a feeling that the opening of Oxford Parkway had seem some modal shift, but that information was limited. It would, therefore, be interesting to see what the impact of the East West Rail improvements would be.

Panel members referred to Oxfordshire’s importance in terms of the regional and national economy, commenting that it was important to emphasize that investment in Oxfordshire rail infrastructure had wider benefits. 

RESOLVED: That the Scrutiny Panel recommends that the Growth Board undertake further work to understand the impact that changes in local rail services do and may have in the future on modal shift, particularly with regards to personal car use, to help inform the 2022 Local Transport and Connectivity Plan (LTCP) and future business cases for rail investment. There should be cross referencing between the rail study and the LTCP.

1.     Especially the A40 Oxford – Witney route should be considered since traffic in these areas will continue to rise with the reduction of services in the northwest of the Cotswolds railway line, bringing in traffic from areas such as Charlbury.

2.     In addition, consideration should also be given to the building of new stations on existing lines especially in areas such as Kidlington-Begbroke-Yarnton where there are large scale development plans.