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.”
The Grade II listed mansion near Wallingford was first listed in early June last year and since then a buyer has not been found.
Initially it was priced at £10m by agent Savills but in February the classic 17th-century English country home was pulled from the market and then relaunched in March at £1m less than its original listing.
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It is now priced at £9m.
Mr Caine lived there with his family from 1984 to 1999, with the legendary actor, who played Alfred in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy and Scrooge in The Muppet Christmas Carol, selling the property in 2020.
At that time it was listed on the market for £6.95m.
Its listing states: “Architecturally interesting, this Grade II listed 17th century, quintessentially English country house affords its future custodian a true Swallows and Amazons lifestyle.
“Marrying period charm with the convenience of 21st century living, Rectory Farm House provides the opportunity to entertain on a grand scale.
“It is a perfect country retreat for those seeking a private edge of village estate, hidden from view.”
With 600 feet of River Thames frontage, the six-bedroom mansion comes with a Moroccan-style jacuzzi, a sauna and a 100,000-litre swimming pool.
In addition, it has two kitchens, five bathrooms, a music room, a drawing room and sitting rooms.
It also has on the ground floor a utility room, gym, plant room, boot room and two lavatories.
Outside Sir Michael added extensively to the 17,000 sq ft property and planted many specimen trees in the grounds.
Property agent Victoria Knight, head of office at Savills in Henley, said: “Situated on the longest stretch of the Thames between locks, Rectory Farm House offers hours of hassle-free boating.
“Despite its 600 feet of frontage, the house cannot be seen from the river and is surrounded by beautiful gardens and grounds.
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“Beneath the formal lawns, waterside meadows are also a haven for all manner of wildlife, including otters, swans, kingfishers, hedgehogs, sparrowhawks, buzzards, rooks and deer.”
Outside, and included in the purchase, is a cottage equipped with a sitting room, kitchen, downstairs bedroom suite and mezzanine bedroom suite.
A three bay, timber clad garage provides an additional three car ports, a large machinery store, a log store and a first floor storage room.
In addition, there is a lodge that is presently used as staff accommodation.
The rural crime police found and recovered a red Ducati Monster in the Cane End area of south Oxfordshire, close to Reading.
According to officers, the bike was involved in an incident last month where it failed to stop for blue lights and made off in a “dangerous” manner having crashed into a police van.
It was found on Wednesday evening, May 13.
The Ducati Monster is a popular motorbike made by the Italian manufacturer since the early 1990s.
Some 350,000 Ducati Monsters have been produced since the model’s introduction in 1993, making it the best-selling and longest-running motorcycle in Ducati’s history.
Its often credited in the motorbike world as being the one that ‘saved Ducati’ due to its popularity and cheap development costs
The Rose & Crown in Ratley, a village new Banbury on the northern tip of the Cotswolds AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty), shut down unexpectedly ahead of the festive period in December 2024, due to personal circumstances, according to the owners.
The village pub and restaurant, 10 miles north of Banbury, is now set to be reopened under new owners after more than a year on the market.
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In a statement released to introduce themselves, new owners Dee and Norm Knight-Barrett said: “We wanted to reassure everyone that we intend to reopen The Rose & Crown as a traditional British ‘pie and pint’ pub.
“There is quite a bit of work to do internally in particular the cellar and kitchen.
“We want to offer the best beers and pies that we can so we need to carry out some upgrades. We will keep you posted with regard to progress so please bear with us.
“We are looking forward to meeting you all and making lots of new friends.”
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The new owners revealed the plans include theme nights, pizza, curry and barbecues, live music, a pool table and sports games, and has invited further suggestions from the village.
The property is a grade II listed, detached building which is believed to have operated as a pub for more than 250 years.
No opening date has yet been announced and works to renovate and refresh the venue are ongoing.
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