PLANS to bring back passenger rail services on the Cowley Branch Line are moving forward.

The government-backed National Infrastructure Commission has welcomed the proposals, according to council bosses, and has now asked transport officials in Oxfordshire to provide further details.

It comes after key meetings in London between the commission and local authorities, including Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council.

They have proposed a raft of measures to improve transport links along the so-called ‘last mile’ into the city centre, including upgrades to roads, buses and train services, with bosses hoping the commission will back them in an autumn report.

City council leader Bob Price said the talks were now ‘starting to get somewhere’.

He added: “We had the session in London and the commission came back with a request to do a lot more work on the commercial benefits that could be gained from the Cowley Branch Line.”

But key to several projects that transport bosses were lobbying for – such as Oxford Rail Station’s planned revamp and more tracks between the city and Didcot – was also the replacement of Botley Road railway bridge, he added.

Mr Price explained: “You can’t do a lot of these things, including the branch line, without the bridge being widened.

“We have explained that and so it is good those points are now linked in their minds.

“It is not just something that is important for Oxfordshire but also for the freight corridor from the south coast all the way to the north east.

“So all these projects are not just about the local commercial value but also the national rail network – and completing that loop that lets rail freight bypass London.”

Local authorities along the Oxford to Cambridge ‘growth corridor’ were currently in discussions about how they can coordinate their requests to the commission and make a joined-up plan, he added. The commission has already given its backing to the £3.5m Oxford-Cambridge Expressway scheme, which will create a new dedicated road link between the two university cities.

Speaking yesterday, county council leader Ian Hudspeth agreed discussions so far about possible schemes such as the Cowley Branch Line were positive but he remained ‘cautious’.

He added: “Both the branch line and the station redevelopment require bigger measures to make them possible and so, while it is good to see the commission is asking for more information, we have got to remain realistic about what we can deliver.

“We are focused on trying to deal with ‘pinch points’ across Oxfordshire to improve transport connections and it is right that we address some of those issues locally – we should not just be approaching the Government with a begging bowl.

“There has got to be a plan that shows how we can also contribute and do our bit as a county.

“That said, I am always optimistic about these things. We will see what comes forward in the Budget this autumn, because the commission’s recommendations have been very important in the past.”

The Oxford Mail revealed the branch line scheme was among a package of measures being proposed in April.

Other schemes also include upgrades to the A34, A40, A44 and the city’s ring road, which could get dedicated bus lanes to improve journey times.

Transport bosses expect they could cost hundreds of millions of pounds in total.