Oxfordshire's cabinet backed £10m so East West Rail can build an underpass, not a footbridge, when Bicester's London Road level crossing closes.
An underpass for traffic, people on foot and cyclists will replace the London Road level crossing in Bicester. Oxfordshire County Council has agreed to put £10 million towards it. Without that money, the council warned, East West Rail was likely to build a footbridge with lifts instead.
Updated 29 October: the decision was not called in and took effect on 27 October.
The county’s cabinet approved the commitment in principle on Tuesday 20 October. The printed decisions were published the next day. The money is still “subject to concluding suitable agreements” with the government and East West Rail.
East West Rail’s chief executive, David Hughes, said funding “has now been agreed to deliver an underpass at London Road level crossing”. His statement was published by Calum Miller, MP for Bicester and Woodstock, on 21 October.
Why the crossing is closing
East West Rail will run trains between Oxford and Cambridge through Bicester Village station, beside the crossing. Its consultation in November 2024 found the crossing had to close on safety grounds, the council’s cabinet report says.
East West Rail looked at two replacements:
- a footbridge with lifts for people walking, cycling and wheeling
- an underpass
The council objected to the footbridge. The report says its height and ramps would put it beyond many people with limited mobility, and that relying on lifts raised doubts about reliability. It calls an underpass “the only viable mitigation” for the closure.
East West Rail had said the underpass would only be built if others helped pay for it. The report is blunt about what would have happened otherwise: without a council contribution, “there is a significant risk that the overbridge will be delivered”.
Where the £10 million comes from
The Department for Transport required the council to commit £10 million to secure the underpass, the report says. The council has found most of it, but not all.
| Source | Amount |
|---|---|
| East West Rail “works in kind” funding the council already holds | £6,000,000 |
| Developer contributions (Section 106) already held | £1,663,813 |
| Gap, covered for now from the council’s capital contingency | £2,336,187 |
| Total | £10,000,000 |
The council says it will try to replace the £2.3 million gap with money from future housing developments “as far as possible”. No other source is named yet.
The cash is not all spent at once. A first £1 million goes towards design. Most of the rest is due in 2031, which the report says matches the proposed construction timetable.
What is still open
- The final bill. East West Rail is due to give the council final costs at the end of 2026. The council says that lets it look at the figure again when it sets its 2027 budget.
- Cost overruns. The council is still working through draft heads of terms with East West Rail, including who pays if costs rise.
- Call-in. Cabinet decisions take effect at 5pm on 26 October unless they are called in for review by councillors. Updated 29 October: none was. The county’s decision record shows the decision as “Recommendations Approved”, in effect from 27 October.
What it means for you
London Road is the direct route into the town centre for south-east Bicester and the villages beyond it. The cabinet report says closing the crossing without a road replacement would cut those residents off and break a key link between the growth areas north and south of the town.
The underpass keeps a route for vehicles beneath the railway, with protected space for people on foot and bikes, according to the MP’s statement. The footbridge would have carried only people walking, cycling and wheeling.
Nothing changes at the crossing yet. Construction is years away, and the barriers stay in use until then. For this week’s closures around Banbury and Bicester, see our roadworks and travel page.
What people said
Councillor Gareth Epps, the county’s cabinet member for transport, said: “Our £10 million contribution backs that commitment with investment. We have listened to residents and worked to secure a solution that meets Bicester’s needs.”
Calum Miller said: “This is a victory for Bicester and for everyone who refused to give up on London Road. Residents and businesses have faced years of uncertainty about a route they depend on every day.”
David Hughes thanked the county council “for providing a key part of the funding for the underpass”. He said East West Rail had spent several years working with the local community on a solution that “maintains connectivity, reduces congestion and improves safety”.
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