Chiltern Railways’ new Oxford Parkway station at Water Eaton will open in 2015, with fast trains via Bicester and High Wycombe to Marylebone. In 2016 these will extend to Oxford’s existing station.

Also in 2016 electrification from Paddington will reach Oxford, cutting noise, vibration and carbon emissions. Then Network Rail will electrify and reopen East West Rail to Milton Keynes and Bedford. As well as increasing passengers, EWR will give Southampton docks new freight access to the West Coast and Midland main lines.

In 2020 Chiltern hopes to extend via Littlemore to Cowley. In 2021 a new railway to Heathrow with trains to Reading should open. Later Network Rail will double a mile of the Cotswold Line through Hanborough, while East West Rail will extend to Cambridge.

To carry so many more trains, Network Rail proposes not only enlarging Oxford station but also increasing the line between Didcot and Oxford to four tracks and building flyovers at two junctions, one each at Didcot and Wolvercote. This should future-proof the line until the 2040s.

Today’s letters

But in November three Wolvercote Lib Dem councillors declared: “We were horrified to hear of the flyover plans and trust they will be dropped without delay”. Now Jean Fooks has repeated her attack and added that she backs Network Rail’s plans in every ward except her own! And Mike Gotch attacks rail electrification north of Oxford because he dislikes its appearance.

To decarbonise long-distance transport, rail must expand. Opposing the Wolvercote flyover and denigrating electrification is anti-environmentalism.

Hugh Jaeger Park Close Oxford

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