Plans for new Rail links between Oxfordshire with East Anglia are moving closer, writes Madeleine Pennell.

A 50-minute train service is planned between Oxford and Bletchley near Milton Keynes, via Bicester, as a first step.

This would mean passengers being able to travel cross-country without going through London. GB Railways and the East West Rail Consortium (EWRC), which includes 30 local authorities, is waiting to hear from the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority whether it will get money to start the service. The announcement is expected in July and the trains could start running in July 2001.

Oxford to Bletchley is the first phase of a route planned by the consortium which will eventually extend from Swindon to Norwich and Ipswich.