Sir – A recent article made the suggestion that tram-trains may be a viable solution to the transport problems of Oxford and surrounding area, including a Witney-to-Oxford link.

Richard Stow (of Railfuture) displays realism in his assessment that such a scheme would not be implemented within 25 years.

I do not believe that having spent circa £50m on a dedicated bus lane along the A40 corridor, the authorities would wilfully hand over that lane for an experimental tramline any time in the future (it may also meet with some opposition from bus operators!).

Also, I would hope that in 25 years’ time a transport system would be considered for this particular route that is a little less ‘last century’.

It will come as no surprise to any of your regular readers that my view is that the most viable option for restoring a rail link between Witney and Oxford would utilise monorail alongside the existing carriageway.

Low land-take, speed of service, lack of disruption to existing traffic flows and ease of guideway construction would all help to make this a more cost-effective option.

As for the dream of reversing the Beeching cuts of the 1960s and restoring part or all of the original train line, I think it will remain just a dream.

Having said that, I think trams could still play a role as part of an integrated transport strategy in and around the city of Oxford itself.

A suggestion of mine would be to employ trams operating in a ‘North Oxford loop’ using existing space on the Banbury and Woodstock roads (much of which is currently given over to bus lanes).

Trams could operate in a single direction on each of these roads serving a terminus at St Giles. The tramline at the northern end of Banbury Road would be extended to Water Eaton to serve the Oxford Parkway rail station and existing park and ride. From this point the route could follow the A34 to include Pear Tree park and ride (and Northern Gateway development) before returning to the city centre via Woodstock Road.

Before we get too excited about a ‘county-wide’ tram-train system we need to consider the limitations and understand the true cost is likely to be huge. Without full-automation, operating costs will be considerable, speed ‘pedestrian’ and (with overhead lines) visual impact will be high.

Capital expenditure costs will require large-scale private investment – based on the Edinburgh experience where the 8.7 mile route cost an eye-watering £776m!

David Leach
WestOx Monorail Ltd
Witney