Wantage MP launches survey on need for new railway station in Grove

Wantage MP David Johnston has launched a survey to help determine the fate of the old rail hub in Grove that could improve connectivity and travel opportunities for residents.

Wantage Road Station, which closed in 1964 during the Beeching cuts, was named by the Government last January as a possible candidate to get a share of a new £500 million fund to reopen former stations.

A new station would save residents having to drive to Didcot to catch a train, which takes 20 minutes without traffic.

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The purpose of the short survey is to show the Government which stations and lines are actually popular among the local community and which should be considered for reopening.

Mr Johnston revealed that officials working the project also want to know that rail is the ‘right solution’ to travel problems – as some residents might prefer a bus to a train.

The deadline to comment on the future of the rail hub in the village is midday on Monday, March 1.

Wantage Road Station in March 1963

Wantage Road Station in 1963.

The MP commented: “I have been campaigning for Grove Station to reopen since I was elected and will keep going until we are successful.

“Now is the chance for local residents to show the Government how keen they are to see it happen.

“I urge everyone who wants to see the station again to complete the three-minute survey on my website, the results of which will be sent to the Government to demonstrate how popular a proposal it is locally.”

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Those who complete the survey will be asked whether they support the build of a railway station in the village, whether they would use it, whether they would travel by car less and which lines would be most used.

No stations or lines have yet been approved in the South East, however, the MP hopes that the Grove hub can be the first one.

Mr Johnston has been working on solving the railway station problem at the village since he became an MP for the constituency in December 2019.

David Johnston poses outisde of Grove rail hub

He commented: “Grove station is something that people have wanted for 40 years and I am hopeful we might finally make it happen: the fact that it has been for so long called-for means that the plan is much more than a pipe dream.

“All I have promised to do is to keep bashing away until such a time as it actually happens.”

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An initial assessment carried out by Oxfordshire County Council, which is working with Vale of White Horse to develop plans for a new station in the village, shows that the hub could be viable with a benefit cost ratio (BCR) of 2.48 – i.e. a return of £2.48 for every £1 spent on the scheme.

According to the council, this is regarded as ‘high value for money’ by the Department for Transport.

For the assessment, it has been assumed that a station could open in 2025 and could be served by an hourly train service, which would run between Oxford and Bristol.

The survey can be found on Mr Johnston’s website at www.david-johnston.org.uk

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