An
Oxfordshire
MP


is
presenting
a
petition
to
Parliament
today
which
opposes
the
closure
of
a
level
crossing
in
Bicester.

The
crossing
is
on
the
London
side
of
Bicester
Village
station,
on
the
B4100
London
Road.
The
B4100
is
a
major
route
for
traffic
in
Bicester,
and
there
are
calls
for
an
underpass
instead.

At
the
moment
the
trains
using
the
crossing
are
those
between
Oxford
and
London
Marylebone,
but
the
number
of
trains
will
increase
significantly
later
this
year
when
East
West
Rail
trains
from
Oxford
start
running
to
Bletchley
and
Milton
Keynes
Central.
In
the
years
ahead,
EWR
will
be
extended
to
Bedford
over
the
existing
Marston
Vale
Line,
and
then
on
to
Cambridge
when
a
new
line
has
been
built,
further
increasing
the
number
of
trains
through
Bicester
Village.

East
West
Rail
has
suggested
a
footbridge
in
London
Road
for
pedestrians
and
cyclists,
but
motorists
would
have
to
find
another
route.
The
nearest
bridge
over
the
line
is
on
the
A41,
which
is
the
other
side
of
Bicester
Village
station,
but
this
is
already
congested
in
peak
hours.

Bicester
and
Woodstock
MP
Calum
Miller
launched
the
petition,
which
has
gathered
more
than
4,000
signatures.

He
had
previously
written
to
Chancellor
Rachel
Reeves
last
October,
saying:
‘There
is
support
for
the
new
rail
line
but
also
a
belief
that
its
opening
should
not
unfairly
affect
one
town.
They
do
not
want
to
see
Bicester
cut
in
two.’

EWR
said:
‘We
welcome
the
public’s
continued
interest
in
this
important
issue
and
continue
to
assess
all
the
potential
solutions
for
the
London
Road
level
crossing.

‘Whilst
this
work
is
being
carried
out
we
are
working
closely
with
our
local
stakeholders,
including
Calum
Miller
MP
and
the
local
councils.’

Do
you
have
a
comment?
Please
click here  to
send
an
email
to
Platform
at
Railnews.

 Moderated
comments
will
be
published
on
this
site,
and
may
also
be
used
in
the
next
print
edition.