ANYTHING that would help alleviate Oxford’s congested roads is of course welcome.

We’ve had some more creative schemes put forward as a solution recently – not least the tunnel Ian Hudspeth would like to build under the High Street.

And while that might never become a reality, the latest plan to reintroduce passenger trains from the city’s train station to Littlemore and Cowley looks like more of a runner. It would be fantastic to see people able to commute into the city centre with a short train ride rather than battling through miles of traffic jams.

So far there has been no suggestion of cost or where exactly people would be able to get the train from.

Good on Chiltern Railways for having the ambition – let’s just hope it becomes more than that.

Chiltern Railways is already building a new train line between Oxford and London Marylebone via Bicester which will include a new train station at Water Eaton.

It’s hoped that line will open in September 2016.

The Cowley branch line does seem a sensible extension.

With a faster journey from the capital to Oxford, perhaps one day commuters will then be able to continue on to other parts of the city.

And then, maybe, the scenes of traffic chaos we’ve seen recently could become a thing of the past. We can but hope.