Chiltern Railways has been given the green light to create a £130 million new rail link between Oxford and London Marylebone.
The two trains per hour service, which has been supported at two public enquires by Railfuture, should start operating in 2015.
The link will be built and funded by Chiltern Railways, the operator of Marylebone-to-Birmingham services, under a 20-year franchise.
As part of the project, Chiltern Railways will build new stations in Bicester and in north Oxford. The new parkway station in north Oxford will be located at Water Eaton and will be a multi-modal interchange, linking trains, buses, cars and bikes, allowing passengers to avoid the congestion of central Oxford.
Bicester Town station will also be redeveloped providing a gateway to the town next to the popular Bicester Village fashion outlet centre.
“The Oxford to London link is the latest in a long line of innovative Chiltern-led projects to upgrade the rail infrastructure, fuelled by our understanding of rail’s potential to make a significant contribution to economic growth and prosperity,” said Graham Cross of Chiltern Railways.
The line from Bicester to Oxford will also be used by the East West Rail project which has been given the go-ahead by the Government.
Chiltern Railways will work in partnership with the East West Rail team.
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin approved a Transport and Works Act order allowing the project to proceed after accepting proposals to protect bats which use Wolvercote Tunnel in Oxford as a roost.
A public inquiry into the project was held in Oxford in 2010-11. It was reopened earlier this year to hear further evidence on measures to protect the bats and other wildlife near the line.
Information from Chiltern Railways