Rail passengers travelling between Banbury and Bicester have been warned to expect delays later this year when a stretch of track is shut for a major expansion scheme.

Operator Chiltern Trains said it will install a second track over a nine-mile stretch of the line between Banbury and Bicester North.

The work will mean the stretch, on the line between London and Birmingham, will be closed for 17 days between April 20 and May 6.

Services will be diverted through Oxford.

ChilternTrains said that converting the line to a double track would remove a bottleneck which currently causes delays to services along the whole route.

Speeds would be increased from 75mph to between 90mph and 100mph once the work was completed, improving journey times and allowing more trains to run.

A spokesman for Chiltern Trains said: "We're busy making plans to ensure the engineering work causes as little inconvenience as possible. Inevitably projects of this magnitude do cause substantial disruption to services."

Engineering work is also being carried out at several locations along Chiltern's route during weekends and evenings, which was also likely to affect some train services.