A rail company has been told to “pick up the pace” over plans for a crucial level crossing in Bicester.
East West Rail (EWR) has faced pressure to publish its proposals for the future of the London Road crossing.
It comes as the company looks to double the number of trains running on the line through Bicester from 2025.
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The increase would see a longer wait for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians at the crossing, raising fears it will "split the town in half".
EWR had promised to set out detailed plans for the crossing by the first half of 2024 - but has now pushed it back by a year.
It has been criticised for “letting down Bicester residents” over the delay with a final proposal not planned until 2025.
“East West Rail need to pick up the pace and tell us their plans for London Road,” said Calum Miller, the Liberal Democrats’ prospective parliamentary candidate for the Bicester and Woodstock constituency.
"They are on time with their own plans to increase services on but have let down Bicester residents with further delays to serving up a proposal for London Road.
“I don’t think residents know that East West Rail’s plans will make them wait for over 30 minutes in every hour at the level crossing from later this year.
“Those delays will already start to cut our town in half.
“They will add congestion and journey time for drivers and be a real inconvenience for pedestrians, wheelchair users and cyclists who have no viable local alternatives.
“Before increasing our misery with longer level crossing down times, East West Rail must tell us their plans to keep London Road open in future.”
Bicester town councillor and fellow Lib Dem Rachel Mallows added that residents “shouldn’t have to wait a year”.
She said: “Bicester residents have been pointing out the need for a solution for London Road for over a decade.
“I was part of Bicester Traffic Action Group when we - and others like Langford Village Residents’ Association - highlighted this.
“I’m particularly concerned about the impact on the thousands of pedestrians who use the crossing every day.
“It’s good that East West Rail say they are committed to providing new crossings for all road users but I won’t believe it’s going to happen until they publish a proposal and a timeline.
“We shouldn’t have to wait until next year for a final plan.”
An EWR spokesman said: “We aim to hold two stages of statutory consultation before seeking government permission to build the railway, the first of which we expect to launch in the first half of this year.
“During this consultation we will be presenting significant new information on our preferred route option – providing increased clarity for communities and also land and property owners on most of the route where we have a single preferred option, as well as providing more specific options on the remaining areas of the route. We will also be providing more detail on the impact of EWR locally.
“Our plan to hold the statutory consultation in two phases allows us to take on board local feedback before confirming the precise details of the route, and setting out quantified impact assessments, in the second phase.
"This approach is designed to enable us to be more responsive to feedback and develop the best possible scheme in our formal application to build the railway.
“We encourage as many people as possible to get involved with the consultation and help fully realise the benefits EWR will bring, including better access jobs, education and healthcare while making it easier to see family and friends and travel for leisure.”
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