AN UNDER-threat railway crossing needs to be replaced or trade in Bicester's town centre could be 'killed off', transport campaigners have warned.

The Bicester Traffic Action Group said an alternative to the London Road crossing was urgently needed because of the increasing amount of time its barriers would need to be down.

It is already closing to traffic more regularly due to new services between Oxford and London Marylebone, with even more trains due to pass through it by 2019.

Highways authority Oxfordshire County Council says it is considering possible options such as a tunnel but has been accused of leaving people 'in the dark'.

Action group co-chairwoman Rachel Mallows said yesterday: "The council has been talking about a solution for two years but won't say anything about it.

"It is an absolute disaster and will affect a lot of people in Bicester if nothing is done.

"The county council needs to tell people what it is planning, especially given how much expansion is coming to the town and all the traffic that will bring.

"It could kill off the town centre."

County councillor for Bicester west, Les Sibley, said there was no news on what might be done about the London Road crossing, but added: "We need to see a solution as soon as possible to remove the uncertainty that exists at the moment.

"It is an extremely important crossing for getting people in and out of the town centre and everyone will be affected by what happens to it.

"But what will happen to it is still very unclear – we are still in the dark."

Higher levels of train traffic on the London Road crossing are a result of the new East West Rail scheme, which has created a direct link between Oxford and London Marylebone.

This is set to intensify in future years as the multi-million pound project continues and more freight services begin to pass through, meaning even more barrier down-time.

The county council has said it will consult on plans for the crossing by the end of this year or early 2017 and is has applied for an undisclosed amount of funding from the Government to pay for either a bridge or tunnel.

County council cabinet member David Nimmo Smith yesterday stressed the authority was looking at the situation 'urgently'.

He said: "We are clear that if the Government expectation is a significant increase in train traffic then it will have to provide funding to deal with that."