COMMUTERS could catch direct trains from Oxford to Swindon for the first time in eight years if the country’s first co-operative Rail firm secures official approval.

The Go! Co-operative wants to start a service which would see Oxford and Banbury linked with Swindon, Chippenham, Westbury and Yeovil, with the possibility of extensions to Weymouth and Birmingham.

An Oxford-Swindon-Bath-Bristol service, run by First Great Western and Thames Trains, was withdrawn in 2003.

The co-op will apply to run the service under the Office for Rail Regulation’s open access scheme, which allows firms to run routes not served by the main rail franchise operators.

Among existing open access operators is Wrexham & Shropshire, which links Banbury with London, Shropshire and Wales.

Go! hopes to have trains running from December next year, with four trains a day each way initially.

The co-operative needs to raise about £500,000 to launch the service and is looking for small investors willing to put up £100 for 100 shares. So far £50,000 has been raised.

Chief executive Keith Vingoe said: “This will be the first time a co-operative has managed to get into the rail industry. It’s a great opportunity for people who become members to have a say in the running of a train operating company.”