COTSWOLD Line commuters were back on the rails this morning as the route reopened on time after a week-long closure to commission new double track and signals in West Oxfordshire.
New platforms were opened at Charlbury and Ascott-under-Wychwood stations with ribbon-cutting ceremonies.
Charlbury Town Council chairman Nick Potter, county councillor Neil Owen and Cotswold Line Promotion Group chairman John Ellis did the honours at Charlbury, while at Ascott-under-Wychwood, passengers Jacquie Bugeja - Oxfordshire's chief superintendent registrar - and Carole Hawtin cut the ribbon before boarding the 7.44am train to Oxford.
Speaking on the new platform at Charlbury before the departure of the 7.13am train to Great Malvern, Mr Ellis said: "This is a great day for the Cotswold Line. My congratulations to everyone who has been involved in this project."
The four miles of double track opened today in West Oxfordshire will be joined by a further 16 miles of new line from Moreton-in-Marsh in Gloucestershire to Evesham in Worcestershire in August.
Network Rail is spending £67m on the project to improve punctuality of trains using the line by reinstating track removed in the early 1970s as a cost-cutting measure. For more details, see the Network Rail website.
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