MP petition a 'major' step in campaign to reopen station

David Johnston MP set up the petition of parliament last week but has talked about the issue in the House of Commons more than 20 times since he was elected in 2019.

He said: “With every year the case for the station only grows.

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“The Wantage and Grove area is currently on a growth path to be 59 per cent larger in 2027 than it was in 2017, a huge population increase that needs more infrastructure generally but would benefit significantly from a train station.

“As well as better connecting the people of Grove and the surrounding area, it would of course be better for the environment.

“In the survey I ran, 89 per cent of people said they would use their car less if it reopened (and in case you’re wondering, over 90 per cent said they’d prefer it opening to a new bus service).”

MPs can launch petitions of parliament on issues that are important to their constituents.

The petition will be open until November 1, at which point Mr Johnston will present it to the House of Commons and to the Department for Transport.

Andy Holding of Wantage and Grove Station Supporters Group welcomed the launch of the petition by his local MP.

He said: “I think it is a great thing that David Johnston MP is raising the station plans with parliament.

“The area is currently expanding very rapidly and it will only continue to grow.

“The launch of the petition is a major step in our campaign to re-open Wantage and Grove Station.

“It is something that needs to be raised with all MPs.”

Mr Johnston is currently encouraging residents in his constituency to sign the petition before it is brought before parliament.

He added: “The more signatures we collect, the stronger the message – so please do sign if you are able to and encourage your friends and family that live in the constituency to do so too.”

A Wantage and Grove station was initially opened by Great Western Railway in 1846 but has seen no trains since 1964.

If re-opened it is expected to serve around 2.1 million passengers a year.

The campaign for its re-opening was recently bolstered by news that the owners of Grove Business Park had brought forward plans to expand the site.

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Last month a planning application was submitted to Vale of White Horse District Council to turn the site into a leading science and innovation hub.

This is expected to create around 2,000 extra jobs in the area.

Mr Holding continued: “The expansion of the business park has made the case for the railway station much stronger.

“A lot of people will be commuting into the area and that could put one thousand extra vehicles on our already congested roads.

“Rail transport is clearly the better option.”