Sir – I can sympathise with residents living close to the Oxford to Bicester railway line, if their properties have suffered damage caused by the vibration of heavy freight trains (Report, March 25).

However, the freight trains have been running for more than 30 years and the Chiltern Railways’ plans for trains to Marylebone will not make the situation worse.

The 40mph speed limit is imposed for safety reasons, because, since the 1970s, the track has been maintained to a fairly low standard, causing more vibration from heavy trains.

Under the plans put forward by Chiltern, the track is to be upgraded to a much higher standard, which will permit higher speeds and reduce vibration, and special measures can be taken to protect buildings less than ten metres from the track.

In any case, the Chiltern trains will be diesel railcars, which are lighter and less noisy than diesel locomotives.

This scheme should be welcomed, because it will take a lot of traffic off the roads, and give people from North Oxford and Kidlington a quicker journey to London from the new station at Water Eaton.

Trains are a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly form of transport than roads, but there always seem to be a lot of people objecting to improvements to the railway network.

Martin Smith, Abingdon