Breakthrough on London Road underpass

Calum Miller MP says years of community pressure have delivered a major breakthrough for Bicester

The East West Railway Company has confirmed that a single lane motorised underpass is now the preferred option for replacing Bicester's London Road level crossing - a major milestone for residents, businesses and campaigners who have fought for years to keep Bicester connected.

The announcement, made as part of EWR's latest consultation launching on 14 April, means the underpass has moved from being one option among several to the single preferred solution. It includes a protected active travel corridor for pedestrians and cyclists alongside a single lane road for vehicles.

For years, local people argued that the road closure would cut Bicester in two and that only an underpass could maintain proper connectivity through the town. Many believed the underpass would never get this far. Today's announcement vindicates that campaign.

However, the underpass remains subject to third-party funding. Oxfordshire County Council is working with the Government to develop a funding package, but no agreement has yet been reached. Until the funding is secured, the right solution for Bicester is not guaranteed.

Calum Miller, Liberal Democrat MP for Bicester and Woodstock, said:

“This is a genuine victory for Bicester, and it belongs to the campaigners, residents and businesses who refused to give up on London Road. In 2021, EWR consulted on closing the crossing altogether. In 2024, they consulted only on non-motorised options. Today, an underpass is their preferred solution. That shift has not happened by accident. It has happened because local people organised, spoke up and kept making the case that Bicester deserved better, and I am proud to have worked alongside them every step of the way.

“There is one hurdle left, and that is funding. It needs to be resolved quickly so this preferred option becomes the delivered option. The clearer and louder local voices are in the weeks ahead, the harder it will be for anyone to wobble. Bicester has made itself heard once. Now we need to do it again, and finish the job.”

Carole Heatherington, Chair of the Langford Village Community Association said: 

“I am thrilled, delighted and relieved that the Government has at long last recognised and accepted that a motorised underpass is the only long-term solution for Bicester. We have campaigned for so long to get to this point, well done Bicester. We now just need confirmation from the government and EWR that the funding package is finalised, which I'm sure won't be long.”

Paul Troop, Chair of Bicester Bike Users' Group, also added:

"Bicester Bike Users' Group welcomes East-West Rail's belated recognition that an underpass is the only accessible solution for the pedestrians, cyclists, and public transport users who depend on this crossing. But given an underpass depends on third-party funding, there is still a serious risk of the company's fallback, a vertiginous stepped footbridge. Given the track will slice through the middle of the town, the company should commit to funding the underpass out of its own core budget rather than relying on the whim of others."

The EWR consultation runs from 14 April to 9 June 2026. Calum Miller is urging all residents and businesses to respond and make clear that the underbridge must be delivered in full.