THE redevelopment of a train station designed to reduce traffic on the A40 has been handed a cash boost.

A £15,000 cash injection was approved by West Oxfordshire District Council (WODC) last week.

The aim of the project is to make Hanborough railway station a key transport hub, in turn reducing pressure on the A40, while also promoting active travel including walking, cycling and the use of buses.

WODC’s cabinet approved the funding, which will come from the unallocated Housing and Planning Delivery Grant, and will match-fund a £15,000 contribution from Oxfordshire County Council.

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Jeff Haine, cabinet member for planning strategy at WODC, said: “This masterplan will map out the huge potential of Hanborough station which is becoming increasingly important in the overall development of the surrounding area.

“Hanborough has always been well placed as a link to Oxford, London and Worcester and we can now start to realise its key role as we look to support housing growth and the visitor economy.”

Alaa Al-Yousuf, a WODC councillor who represents the Freeland and Hanborough ward, added: “Hanborough is already a busy station and will become more so in the future so this plan is essential for its development and that of the wider area to include an active transport strategy.”

Earlier this year saw the formation of the Hanborough Station Sub-Group, part of the North Cotswold Line Task Force, which brings together five county councils and Local Enterprise Partnerships.

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These bodies come from the 86-mile route between Hereford, Worcester and Oxford, and are joined by the Cotswold Line Promotion Group (CLPG), as well as Network Rail and the Great Western Railway.

The task force is hoping for additional trains, as a metro-style service, between Hanborough and Oxford in order to support housing growth in West Oxfordshire, the visitor economy, and to encourage a shift from road to rail for journeys to Oxford or London.

The first meeting of the sub-group was led by Ian Hudspeth, leader of Oxfordshire County Council, and James Mills, the former leader of WODC.

Mr Mills formally stepped down at a full council meeting on October 28 after moving to Bristol with his wife, who is training for ordination at the city’s Trinity College.

In August 2019, the station became staffed for the first time in 53 years after a £315,000 building opened.

The facility provides commuters with a waiting room and customer toilets.

The building was funded by WODC, CLPG and the National Station Improvement Programme, established by Network Rail to improve stations across the country.