Report identifies strong case to reopen train station

There is a strong case for proposals to build a new train station that could attract up to 1,400 passengers a day, a study has found.

Oxfordshire County Council commissioned the a Strategic Outline Case (SOC) into the feasibility of a new station serving Wantage and Grove last year.

The SOC is the first stage in proposing a large infrastructure project to the Department for Transport, and said there was a "robust foundation" to progress the plans.

Gareth Epps, the county council's transport chief, said the report showed that Wantage and Grove was "ripe for rail investment and justifies our calls for a station".

"Wantage and Grove, with its links to the Science Vale area and growing population, is a prime location for the transformative impact of better public transport," he said.

"We look forward to working with partners to move this scheme forward to the next stage."

A Wantage and Grove railway station first opened in 1864, but was closed in the mid 1960s as part of the Beeching cuts. No trains have run from the towns since.

But the SOC report found that a new station for the area could be used by up to 1,400 passengers daily, whilst also generating economic benefits for the region.

Andy Holding, founder of the Wantage & Grove Station Supporters Group, said the new station could become "one of the busiest in Oxfordshire" were it to open.

"It could help reduce congestion into Oxford, and there's the potential for intercity services too," he added.

The report also highlighted some potential hurdles for the scheme, including Thames Water plans to construct a new 150-billion-litre reservoir nearby.

It also identified concerns that the Swindon to Didcot section of the Great Western Main Line - on which a Wantage and Grove station would sit - was "likely congested infrastructure".

Local MP Olly Glover has been a long-time supporter of the station proposals, and said the next stage would be for Network Rail to "evaluate options for the station's layout and potential train service pattern".

"I will continue to champion this campaign, which is so important for the growing communities of Grove and Wantage," he added.