A KEY phase of work to reinstate a second track on the Cotswold Line Rail route through west Oxfordshire as part of a £67m improvement scheme is under way.

Network Rail contractors have been at work since Monday clearing old stone chippings and other debris off the trackbed on four miles of the line between Charlbury and Ascott-under-Wychwood to make way for new rails and sleepers.

The spoil is being removed by trains operating from Network Rail’s depot at Hinksey Sidings in Oxford.

Next week, new stone ballast, which holds rail tracks in position, will be dropped along the line before tracklaying begins at the start of next month.

The work is taking place overnight on weekdays but will be suspended over the Christmas and New Year period.

Network Rail has written to people living close to the line warning them there may be problems with noise at times.

Community relations adviser Maria Ivory said: “Safety is our number one priority, therefore work of this nature must be carried out while trains are not running.

“In the light of this, we will be carrying out these works overnight.

“This is not a decision taken lightly and we apologise for any disturbance this may cause.”

She added: “We try to complete work as quietly and courteously as possible, but some noise is inevitable.”

Once the second track is complete at the end of next month, the tracklaying teams will move north to Moreton-in-Marsh, in Gloucestershire.

Working at the rate of one mile of track per week, they are due to lay another 16 miles to Evesham, in Worcestershire, by the end of May.

The line will then close between Oxford and Kingham for a week for installation of new signals and points at Charlbury and for modernisation of the signal box and level crossing at Ascott-under-Wychwood before the double track through the area opens to trains on June 6.

The double track on the western section of the line will be brought into use in August.

  • Due to the work, late-night weekday trains on the route will be replaced by buses until May, with the last train from Oxford to stations to the west leaving at 8.20pm.
  • Anyone with concerns about disturbance caused by tracklaying work should call Network Rail’s 24-hour helpline on 08457 114141 or email crwest@networkrail.co.uk
  • For more details of the project and alterations to train services, see the First Great Western and Network Rail websites.