Sir – Chiltern Railways intends Oxford Parkway to attract hundreds of commuters to London from West Oxfordshire. They would drive to Water Eaton via the A40, A44 or A4095 and either Wolvercote or Pear Tree: already-congested bottlenecks on the edge of Oxford.
Witney Oxford Transport’s proposed Yarnton parkway station on the Cotswold Line would divert many of these commuters, thus relieving those bottlenecks. But WOT’s ultimate aim remains a rapid transit between Carterton, Witney and central Oxford, including Oxford station.
In 2001, civil engineers Mott MacDonald compared rail, tram and bus options for a Witney–Oxford link, and predictably found heavy rail would cost most. In 2007 the Association of Train Operators estimated the rail option would cost £95m. Today that would be almost £120m.
Rail and tram offer different advantages. Trains from Witney could continue to either Cowley or Paddington, reducing A40 commuter traffic even more. But their Witney station would probably be south of the Witney bypass, perhaps on the A415 just north of Ducklington.
“Tram-trains” sharing the existing railway might be cheaper, and could serve the Cowley branch line and the centre of Witney, Oxford and Carterton. But they couldn’t continue to Paddington.
David Leach proposes a monorail option. He originally proposed Pear Tree, three miles from central Oxford, as its eastern terminus. He now says it might continue beside the existing railway past Port Meadow to Oxford station.
David estimates a monorail would cost £150–200m. With or without the three miles from Pear Tree to Oxford I am not clear, but either way it doesn’t sound cheaper than trains or trams.
Beyond Oxford station, few would dare extend a monorail through Oxford’s historic centre, let alone 60 miles to Paddington. Hence I have yet to see a monorail’s advantage over a railway or tramway.
Hugh Jaeger, Oxford
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