ONE of Oxford's MPs has called on the government to put money in place for rail upgrades.

Layla Moran, Lib Dem MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, has been lobbying Department for Transport officials to splash some cash on the Cowley branch line and a new railway station at Grove in the Vale of White Horse district.

Ms Moran said: “If the Conservatives are serious about reviewing the Expressway, they’ll invest in our rail.”

The MP was invited to attend a drop-in session organised by the DfT and spoke to civil servants and ministers about the need to invest in connectivity across Oxfordshire, not just in its largest city.

She laid out the importance of building a new station at Grove on land safeguarded under the Vale of White Horse’s local plan.

A recent Oxfordshire Growth Board study into developing rail infrastructure said the station would become viable in 2028 with future housing growth.

But Ms Moran said: "We need this station sooner, as we need to take current congestion and a lack of public transport capacity into account.”

She also spoke about restoring the Witney to Oxford line and building a station at Begbroke, actions that would help ease congestion in west Oxford.