Sir – The problem with Deutsche Bahn’s (aka Chiltern Railways’) approved rail service to Bicester and London is that the speed of 75mph through Wolvercote is too high.

According to the railway company’s bat ecologist, we have 13 species of bat using Wolvercote tunnel, of which Alcathoe’s and Barbastelle are both rare British breeds.


The records of Lesser Horseshoe are the most easterly to be found in Oxfordshire. The report’s author wrote that “Wolvercote tunnel is a flight corridor for several species most importantly for Myotis, Brown Long-Eared and Pipistrelle bat species”, that there was evidence for possible low-level swarming, that small numbers of “Daubenton’s, Natterer’s, Common and Soprano Pipistrelle bats roost in the tunnel throughout the year”, while “in winter, the tunnel is used by small numbers of Daubenton’s and Natterer’s bats to hibernate in”.


In their experiments with lighting, the report admitted that at any one time only 60 per cent of the bats using the tunnel were actually deterred by the lights, leaving 40 per cent facing the shock waves of oncoming trains, in a narrow tunnel, at speeds far beyond their ability to escape.
Although Deutsche Bahn will monitor the casualties from this new threat, it was stated that such figures were considered to be “commercial and in confidence” and may not be published, but they did take the precaution of getting agreement (natch!) that when our local bats abandon the tunnel, as expected through unsustainable attrition rates, the lighting regime will become obsolete and can be turned off.
Under no circumstances were they prepared to consider a compromise of slowing for this tunnel, which is just before or after they have to stop at Water Eaton anyway. Reducing the speed to a bat-friendly level through the tunnel adds only a mere handful of seconds to the total travelling time. And that is not to mention the other sound environmental reasons to moderate the speed through Wolvercote.
Keith Dancey, Upper Wolvercote