Chiltern Railways' reliable services are proving a big draw for passengers, according to new rail industry figures.

Journeys using Bicester North station leapt by 19 per cent in 2006-7, up to 801,822, from 673,644 in 2005-6, while at Haddenham & Thame Parkway numbers were up by 15.5 per cent to 468,122 from 405,151 a year earlier.

Chiltern is currently top of the industry's punctuality tables, running 95.6 per cent of its services on time in the last three months of last year.

The increases, in a report from the Office for Rail Regulation, reflected a trend of growing rail use across the county and nationally.

At Oxford 4,540,878 journeys were made, up 11.4 per cent from 4,076,844 the previous year; at Didcot Parkway there was a 5.2 per cent rise, to 2,290,949 from 2,175,689; while at Banbury 1,289,983 journeys were made, up 9.9 per cent from 1,174,068 in 2005-6.

On the Cotswold Line from Oxford to Worcester, Charlbury has become the busiest intermediate station, taking over from Evesham in Worcestershire.

Despite the town only having a population of 3,000 people, compared with 24,000 in Evesham, Charlbury's station was used for 249,781 journeys, up from 232,040 (a rise of 7.6 per cent) in 2005-6, while Evesham saw 236,611 journeys, a fall of 1.1 per cent from 239,257 in the previous year.

Elsewhere on the Cotswold Line, passenger numbers were up at Hanborough, with 76,580 journeys in 2006-7, up 8.3 per cent from 70,652 the previous year and there was a 3.3 per cent rise at Kingham, up to 131,183 from 126,995.

A further boost to passenger numbers on the route can be expected from 2010, if Network Rail's plan to improve services by reinstate 20 miles of double track gets underway next year, including the section between Charlbury and Ascott-under-Wychwood.

One route where there were mixed messages was the branch from Oxford to Bicester, where traffic was up 11 per cent at Islip, the only intermediate station, from 16,167 journeys to 17,939 but at Bicester Town footfall passenger numbers were down 9.7 per cent, from 48,685 to 43,950.

Things could improve take a turn for the better if plans by Bicester Village shopping centre to provide a 220-space car park alongside Bicester Town station, for park-and-ride commuters heading into Oxford, as well as shoppers, get the go-ahead.