Plans to reopen a south Oxfordshire railway station have hit a barrier after the national government u-turned on a programme.

The Wantage and Grove Station closed in December of 1964 as part of the Beeching cuts, a series of major national route closures and service changes.

Earlier this year it had looked like the station could return but this has been cast into doubt by the government’s recent choice to bin the Restore Your Railway fund.

A campaign group entitled Wantage and Grove Station Supporters Group has since launched efforts to reopen the station.

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Wantage and Grove station has seen no trains since 1964.Wantage and Grove station has seen no trains since 1964. (Image: Andy Holding)

Group founder Andy Holding has been campaigning for years to reopen the station and has been left disappointed by the news. 

“The Labour government are scrapping the Restore Your Railway fund which puts all new stations in doubt, including Grove,” he said.

“I’m extremely concerned about the Labour Party as some stations which were given the green light will not get the go-ahead now.

“However, they are planning to build more new homes across the UK with no new infrastructure, such as train stations.”

“Oxfordshire County Council is still focused on commissioning the SOBC which should be ready later in the year.”

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Liz Leffman has penned an open letter.Liz Leffman has penned an open letter. (Image: Oxfordshire County Council)

His faith in the County Council has been prompted by an open letter penned by OCC leader Liz Leffman who has called the government’s decision into question.

“Among the new Government’s flurry of announcements and changes in direction from the previous administration came the news that some previously planned rail expansion work in the UK will not take place and that more housebuilding will happen across the country.

“At the county council we know that people in Wantage and Grove have always been concerned about housebuilding levels and in particular have concerns that the correct infrastructure has now come with the new homes.

“One of the things right at the top of the list when it comes to new infrastructure is a new railway station to serve the area. At the county council we have a long track record of campaigning for exactly the same thing.

“The need for a railway station becomes more and more acute as each year passes.

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(Image: Andy Holding)

“An initial assessment has already shown that a new Wantage and Grove station has a potentially strong case for being built, which the council is commissioning some further study work on

“We know that the rail industry has a long list of its own priorities.

“We also know that it can’t just be a case of a new station being dropped in on the railway line between Didcot and Swindon. Fast express trains run on that line between London and Wales.

“There would need to be slow lines created through the station with associated signalling and changes to the track layout.

“While there are complexities none of these things are insurmountable and we are determined to push the case for the station at every single opportunity. This is something we will not allow to drop below the radar of key decision-makers in the rail industry and at Whitehall.

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“An experimental Bristol-Oxford service is due to start operating this autumn, demonstrating that there is an appetite for more rail services across the area that a new station would serve.”

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