THE major revamp of Oxford Station and plans to double the railway tracks between the city and Didcot are needed to prevent a "major impact" on the county's economy, according to council bosses.

They have called on Network Rail to give a "firm commitment" it will deliver the £75m station scheme before 2024 and increase the number of tracks down to Radley from two to four.

A new rail strategy unveiled yesterday says this should be followed by construction of a flyover or 'dive-under' east of Didcot and then completing work to double the tracks from Radley to the town.

Oxfordshire County Council leader Ian Hudspeth said: "We are approaching capacity in Oxfordshire, which is good news for the rail industry but it is not good for the customer experience.

"I have written to the Transport Secretary about this to lobby for money and we will continue to highlight the case for investment in rail here."

According to the draft Oxfordshire Rail Strategy – part of the county's Local Transport Plan – passenger levels have increased by 92 per cent since 2002. There have also been huge increases in freight from ports such as Southampton passing through.

But the strategy warns infrastructure improvements have not kept up with this, despite large amounts of housing planned and booming growth in the county's enterprise zones, which will "rely heavily on better connectivity".

It adds: "Oxford cannot wait another 10 to 15 years for the rail infrastructure it needs to allow more services to reach the city."

Work is already under way to extend services to London from Chiltern Railways' new Oxford Parkway station by adding a new platform in the city centre.

But the strategy argues the redevelopment of Oxford Station is a vital first step to unlock a series of other schemes to increase capacity, adding that without these passengers will not benefit from new services to the East Midlands and Heathrow Airport.

These include restoring passenger services on the Cowley branch line, expanded services to Cambridge and the West Country, as well as long-awaited upgrades to the Cotswold line.

A Network Rail spokesman said: "We are always keen to work with others to enhance and upgrade the railway.

"The rail strategy reflects the desire of the county council to provide the best services for their constituency and we will consult it with interest."