Petition calls for progress on Oxford to Cambridge trainline

Calls for progress continue to be made by people who are frustrated by the delay to the line’s re-opening to passengers after nearly 60 years, despite construction being completed on the section from Oxford to Milton Keynes in December 2024.

Currently, only freight trains are running on the route which connects Oxford, Oxford Parkway and Bicester to Cambridge, via stations like Milton Keynes and Bedford.

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Among the issues which have delayed the official opening of the £7 billion new train line is an ongoing dispute between the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) Union, which represents train guards and drivers, and East West Rail line operator Chiltern Railways.

A newly launched petition is calling for the Government to ‘end the deadlock’.

Chiltern Railways will operate the new line. Pictured: Oxford Parkway (Image: Oxford Mail)

It said: “The East West Rail Line was due to open last December for passenger services. It’s still not running.

“The Government needs to break the deadlock between Chiltern Railways and unions.

“There needs to be effective negotiation to resolve differences and find a solution. Services need to run urgently.

“People moved to the East West Rail Line corridor for work and to use the train for other reasons.

“Some have lost jobs because of the delay. Others, who expected to take the train, are struggling to battle rush hour traffic to places like Oxford.”

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Railfuture, a campaign group promoting the expansion and efficacy of rail transport in the UK, said a dispute between the RMT Union and Chiltern Railways over Driver Only Operation is to blame for the delays.

The union said Chiltern Railways wants train drivers to open and close the doors at stations, with no train guards required – something which it has condemned as ‘unsafe’.

David Richardson, spokesperson for the Thames Valley branch of Railfuture, said: “We wholeheartedly support this petition and would urge anyone wanting to see better rail services in Oxford to support it.

Construction on the first section was completed in December 2024 (Image: EWR)

“We have suffered major disruption while the new bridge at Oxford station is put in to support an extra platform and new rail services, yet here we have a restored rail route that is open to freight trains but no passenger services are running.”

He said the petition would be discussed at the campaign groups AGM on May 12 in West Oxford Community Centre.

“Any further delay would be very, very frustrating,” Mr Richardson added.

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The RMT Union disputes that the delay has been caused by its dispute with the train operator.

A union spokesperson said: “It is simply inaccurate to blame delays to East West Rail 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.”

They added delays to the reopening are due to the central section between Bedford and Cambridge still needing to be built, vacancies on the line, issues with the stations which have been built and new railways having to be designed, agreed and approved.

The new line will connect Oxford to Cambridge for the first time in nearly 70 years (Image: Greg Blatchford)

The spokesperson said: “We are opposed to Driver Only Operation because it is vital there is a second safety critical person on board.

“This can include being responsible for door operations but it is a highly varied role, dealing with passengers safety, particularly in emergencies. 

“The guaranteed presence of a second onboard safety critical staff member provides a safer environment and reassurance to passengers particularly women and girls travelling alone. 

“RMT members are committed to delivering a safe and reliable railway, but they will not accept being used as cover for failures in project management.”

A spokesperson for Chiltern Railways said: “Since being announced as operator of the first stage of East West Rail between Oxford and Milton Keynes in March 2025, we have been working at pace to get everything ready for services to begin on the new line.

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“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.”