Crime & Safety
£1.3bn Oxford to Milton Keynes train line unused for a year
The £1.8 billion rail link between Oxford and Milton Keynes is the first phase of the East West Rail line, a £7 billion train service corridor to from Oxford to Cambridge.
The Oxford-Bucks section was completed in October 2024 after construction began four years earlier.
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But, despite plans to run passenger trains from late 2025, the line is only open for freight trains and remains unused by the public amid an ongoing union spat.
One of the issues the delays are blamed on is a dispute between Chiltern Railways and the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT).
The trade union row is over the issue of whether the trains should have train guards to open and close the doors.
The union is against the use of Driver Only Operation (DOO) trains, claiming they are unsafe.
A new station with a £5 million investment in the Bucks village of Winslow also remains out of operation despite being completed in 2024.
Town councillor Diana Blamires said residents are “fed up” of the wait for train services to begin.
“Never mind rolling stock, it has become a laughing stock,” she said. “No one involved has shown any signs of getting this sorted.”
The councillor noted it is “very lucrative to have ‘fake’ trains” rattling through the town day and night, but there are “consequences” for the people actually living in the towns along the promised train route.
“It is catastrophic that people have moved to Winslow or any of these places between Milton Keynes and Oxford, thinking it’s a great place to get the train.
“The biggest failure here is the government. The taxpayer are dishing out £1 million for security each year for a station which isn’t even open.”
The project is expected to unlock £6.7 billion in economic growth, support 100,000 new homes, and provide more frequent trains for passengers between Oxford and Cambridge.
Passenger trains between Oxford and Milton Keynes, run by Chiltern Railways, were scheduled to launch by the end of December.
Roy and Bridget Kelsey have lived in Winslow for nine years and said while they thought the station would be beneficial, the lack of progress was concerning.
Mr Kelsey, in his 80s, said: “The station not being open does concern me.
“Two years ago we were all invited to a meeting when the construction was taking place and they had quite a lot of managerial types painting a wonderful, rosy picture of how everything was going to go.
“Now it has come to a full stop.”
Mr Kelsey added house prices had increased in the area since plans were announced for the station and he imagined they would continue to rise once it was running for passenger services.
Ray Dewberry, 72, has lived next to Winslow station for three years and said “nobody seems to know what’s going on”.
He said: “It’s silly how much money they’ve spent and it’s still not open.
“I’d use it all the time if it was cheap enough. We had some correspondence before Christmas to say it would open soon but nothing since.”
A Chiltern Railways spokesperson said: “Since being announced as operator of the first stage of East West Rail between Oxford and Milton Keynes in March, we have been working at pace to get everything ready for services to begin on the new line.
“Significant progress has been made, including the hiring and training of 44 train drivers, the creation of a new colleague facility at Bletchley, and the fit out of a new modern station with step-free access at Winslow.
“However, there is work still to finish to prepare the trains, on Winslow station and on the operating arrangements for the new route. We are continuing our work on these areas in conjunction with industry colleagues and will provide updates as soon as we are able to.”
An RMT spokesperson said: “Our dispute with Chiltern is about the introduction of Driver Only Operation and the running of services without a second safety critical person onboard between Oxford and Milton Keynes.
“It is simply inaccurate to blame delays on our dispute when the project has been held back for years by indecision, rising costs and unresolved planning issues.
“The industrial dispute only affects one part of the route and the biggest delays sit squarely with those in charge of managing the project.
“Even if the industrial dispute were resolved tomorrow, [the Oxford-Cambridge corridor] would still face major delays because the central section between Bedford and Cambridge has not been built or fully planned for.
“In many places the old railway route cannot be reused, so a new line has to be designed, agreed and approved.
“That means planning, land acquisition and construction are still ahead of us, and those are the real reasons this project is far from completion.
“Our members are committed to delivering a safe and reliable railway, but they will not accept being used as cover for failures in project management.”
Michael Brits, aged 27, of Fair Close, Bicester was charged yesterday (Saturday, March 28) with one count of attempted murder and of possession of a bladed article in a public place.
In addition he was charged with threatening a person, a woman in her 60s who police say is known to Brits, with a bladed article and outraging public decency.
A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police said: “The charges relate to an incident on Friday (March 27) where a woman in her 60s was stabbed by a person known to her at an address in Fair Close.
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“The victim suffered multiple stab wounds and has been discharged from hospital.”
Brits has been remanded to appear at Milton Keynes Magistrates’ Court on Monday (March 30).
Emergency services were called late on Friday afternoon to Fair Close in the Glory Farm estate area in Bicester.
Responding to the scene were several police officers, who turned up in cars and vans, paramedics in ambulances and an air ambulance helicopter.
Police officers soon set up a large cordon in the area of Fair Close with reports of emergency services in nearby Churchill Road too.
Following that, yesterday (March 28) police confirmed that a woman in her 60s was allegedly ‘stabbed’ by a person known to her at an address in Fair Close.
This was said to have taken place at 4.15pm and the statement was accompanied by an appeal by police.
Detective Inspector Richard Allmond, of Oxfordshire Criminal Investigation Department, said: “We are appealing for anyone with information about this incident in Fair Close, Bicester, to please contact us.
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“We understand this will be concerning for the community but we have one person in custody, who knows the victim, and we are not looking for anyone else so we do not believe there is any risk to the wider public.
“We are doing everything we can to investigate and serve the victim, who fortunately only suffered minor injuries, but please get in touch if you can help.”
The police said a scene remains in place at the address and warned that the public should expect an increased police presence in the wider area.
Anyone with information should call 101, make a report on the police’s website, speak to a uniformed officer or visit a police station, quoting the reference number 43260150545.
To provide information anonymously, contact independent charity Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111 or via its website.
Luke Charters, MP for York Outer, told GB News that he was teased by tutors while at university and asked if he was drinking a mug of gravy by other students because of his broad northern accent.
Mr Charters became the Labour MP for the area at the last election having previously worked at the Bank of England and in the fintech industry.
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He studied philosophy, politics and economics (PPE) at Mansfield College, Oxford, from 2013, graduating in 2016.
The 30-year-old told Chopper’s Political Podcast there were older tutors who mocked him for the way he spoke.
On at least one occasion a fellow student asked him whether he was drinking a mug of gravy or a mug of tea.
Mr Charters added that he was advised to water down his accent if he wanted to get a good graduate job or do a Master’s.
“They’re not going to understand you,” he was apparently told.
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Classism and accent discrimination has been a regularly discussed topic at Oxford University in recent years.
It was around the time of Mr Charters’ graduation that St Hilda’s College first introduced a ‘class liberation officer’ to support working class students.
Several years later the principal of Somerville College, Jan Royall, controversially suggested octopus be removed from the college menu as it did not foster an inclusive atmosphere.
The automotive events and training specialist will relocate its 35-member team from Banbury to Building 90, The Main Stores – a 7,410 sq ft facility on the Oxfordshire estate.
Neil Brogden, founder of AMCI Europe, said: “Joining the community at Bicester Motion is an exciting step for AMCI.
“Being surrounded by such a passionate and knowledgeable automotive ecosystem in the heart of Motorsport Valley creates huge opportunities for collaboration, creativity and innovation.
“Building 90 gives us the perfect space to host clients, develop new ideas and deliver events and training in a setting that truly reflects our industry.”
The new headquarters will serve as a flexible hub for office activities, automotive events, training, and client engagement, supporting AMCI’s exclusive focus on the automotive sector and its diverse portfolio of manufacturers and mobility brands.
Building 90 will feature a dedicated events space with vehicle access, along with meeting rooms available to both AMCI clients and other businesses based at Bicester Motion.
The space will also accommodate client training, workshops, and video and photography production.
AMCI also intends to host smaller automotive events on site and make use of Bicester Motion’s test track facilities.
The location will provide opportunities to engage with the wider Bicester Motion community during high-profile events like the Scramble, a popular gathering for classic and modern car enthusiasts held three times a year.
Daniel Geoghegan, chief executive of Bicester Motion, said: “We warmly welcome AMCI Europe and their team to the Bicester Motion community.
“Their focus on supporting automotive brands through events and training aligns perfectly with our collaborative environment.
“AMCI will be a fantastic addition to the estate, creating another space where businesses, enthusiasts and innovators can come together.”
The move is a key milestone in AMCI’s growth, embedding the agency within one of the UK’s most vibrant automotive hubs in the heart of Motorsport Valley.
Bicester Motion is a 444-acre estate dedicated to future mobility, offering a collaborative environment for automotive and mobility businesses.
The site began its transformation in 2013 when the former RAF Bicester Bomber Training Station was acquired and restored.
It has since become a nationally recognised centre for constructive conservation.
Under Bicester Motion’s custodianship, 99 per cent of the buildings have been delicately restored or re-activated for modern business use, with the site now held as a national exemplar of constructive conservation by Historic England.
The estate is now home to a growing ecosystem of automotive businesses, including the well-established Bicester Heritage cluster.
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