A MULTI-million pound investment is being pumped into improving Rail travel between Oxfordshire and London.

Chiltern Railways, running from Banbury, Bicester North and Haddenham and Thame Parkway, is to buy another five two-coach trains for £10m.

Chiltern, bought last month by construction group John Laing, is ordering the trains in response to growing passenger numbers on the London-Birmingham line.

When the new trains are delivered, the company will have spent £29m since rail privatisation three years ago.

It has already put five extra three-carriage trains into service.

The new investment was announced the day after the company denied there would be major cuts in services when its new timetable comes into force on May 30.

It said it plans to cut some peak-hour services in a bid to reduce congestion on the busiest sections of its routes.

Chiltern said although there will be slightly fewer services in peak hours when its new timetable comes in, the trains that do run will be longer.

Spokesman Sara Cruz said: "There will therefore be no reduction in the total number of peak-hour seats provided each weekday."

The new trains, which are composed of self-powered carriages that can be used either as individual trains or as parts of longer ones, will be built by Adtranz of Derby, part of DaimlerChrysler Rail Systems.

Chiltern has recently invested in doubling the track of an 18-mile section of line.

Laing has increased its shareholding from 26 per cent to 84 per cent by buying out development group 3i.

Story date: Tuesday 27 April

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