A group campaigning for a new railway link between Oxford and Witney has warned its future could be in jeopardy if land is not set aside for new stations.

The Witney to Oxford Rail Transport Group has been campaigning for a rail link following the A40 for years.

It has recently submitted a bid for Government cash which might help to make plans for a route with stations at Eynsham, Witney and Carterton a reality.

But Charlie Maynard, a spokesman for the group, warned the scheme’s proposed route could be in danger if it is not set aside.

Speaking to county councillors at their Tuesday meeting, Mr Maynard said: “Plans for the A40 dualling is due to be finalised over the last few months. There currently is no formally protected rail route in the A40 plans.

“Without formal route protection it is almost certain the A40 dualling project will block off a future rail route to Witney and Carterton.”

Works to dual the A40 between Witney and Oxford have recently been given approval, and some works to the Oxford end of the road near the Wolvercote roundabout have begun.

Mr Maynard added the proposed Eynsham Park and Ride, which was given planning permission at the start of March, would be the perfect place for a new train station and that city council officers had agreed with this.

He also said: “The consequences of not protecting a route are severe. If we fail to do this, none of us will be thanked, either by the current residents or by future generations.”

In November last year, the council voted in favour of conducting a feasibility study into reviving the railway link between Oxford, Eynsham, Witney and Carterton.

Charles Mathew, the councillor who proposed it, described the rail link as a ‘light in the darkness’ providing a solution to the traffic problems on the A40.

At the time, Yvonne Constance, the council’s cabinet member for transport and the environment, said previous studies had suggested the route was unviable.