The requirement for capital investment is inescapable, as illustrated, for example, by that needed on the West Coast Main Line. Such investment must be made available via both the public and private sector, in partnership, with long-term aims and objectives in mind. It is notable, however, that the cost of doubling the tracks between Princes Risborough and Bicester on the Chiltern Line, at £13 million for 18 miles, including rebuilding of one station, is modest compared to any road scheme.
The Cotswold Line stands out as an example of the limits faced by public transport without such investment, operating at a capacity dictated by short-term imperatives of the 1960s and 1970s. Without development it is unlikely that the line will be able to offer a substantive alternative to the prospective increase in road traffic.
Whilst the developments suggested in this document cannot be achieved overnight, inaction is not a viable option, and development requires strategic planning on the partnership basis represented by the proposed Cotswold Line Strategy.
The Cotswold Line’s future will be one useful barometer of the success or failure of Government intentions to improve and integrate public transport systems, and to protect the environment in the long term.