A new railway station at Ardley could improve rail access for communities in north Oxfordshire, after an initial study found a credible basis for taking the proposal forward.
Oxfordshire County Council commissioned the pre-feasibility study to examine the potential for a passenger station on the Chiltern Main Line and identify the opportunities and constraints that would need to be considered before the scheme could progress.
The findings do not amount to a commitment to build the station. Instead, they provide an initial assessment of whether there is sufficient evidence to justify further investigation.
Councillor Gareth Epps, the council’s Cabinet Member for Transport, said the proposal could improve rail access for communities that are currently reliant on road travel.
The study also suggests that an Ardley station could serve a wider catchment area if supported by appropriate transport infrastructure, while potentially helping to address the effects of planned growth and changes to the wider transport network.
Former station site identified as possible location
One initial concept considered in the study would provide two platforms, accessible facilities and modest parking.
The indicative cost is estimated at between £24 million and £29 million.
A possible location is the site of Ardley’s historic railway station and its former sidings. The original station closed in 1963.
The proposal would therefore revive a railway connection that disappeared more than six decades ago, although any modern station would require a substantially different assessment of infrastructure, accessibility, passenger demand and railway operations.
The council said further work would need to examine the potential location and design in greater detail, as well as costs, timetable integration, environmental impacts, stakeholder views and possible sources of funding.
Part of wider Oxfordshire rail plans
The Ardley proposal forms part of OxRail 2040, Oxfordshire County Council’s longer-term plan for improving rail transport and connectivity across the county and wider region.
The plan identifies four proposed new stations at Oxford Cowley, Oxford Littlemore, Begbroke and Wantage & Grove, while Ardley is being considered as a fifth potential station.
The schemes are expected to be developed through business cases, design work and potential delivery partnerships involving central government, the infrastructure manager, train operators, developers, commercial partners and district councils.
For Ardley, the immediate question is whether the evidence from the pre-feasibility work is strong enough to justify progressing to a strategic outline case.
That means the station remains a proposal rather than a funded project. But the study represents a step beyond an aspiration, providing the council with an initial evidence base for considering whether the idea should move into more detailed development.
