Connecting Possibilities
The Cowley Branch Line project will sustainably, quickly and affordably restore a rail link, closed to the public for 60 years, to create two new stations in East Oxford and a new direct service to London Marylebone running twice hourly.
“It’s critically important to deliver this project at pace. Opening the Cowley Branch Line to passengers would radically cut journey times for many people living in my constituency who need to get to the city centre for work or leisure. The branch line would also help support much-needed housing for Oxford residents as well as creating a new expanded hub for innovation and economic growth.”
Anneliese Dodds
MP For East Oxford
CBL will be
transformational
The Cowley Branch Line project will sustainably, quickly and affordably restore a rail link, closed to the public for 60 years, to create two new stations in East Oxford and a new direct service to London Marylebone running twice hourly.
Potential to unlock 5-10,000 additional homes
Directly connect Oxford’s 4 major economic clusters to London
Unlock 10,000 new jobs
Catalyse over £1 billion of private sector Investment
Deliver fast journey times of less than 10 minutes (compared to existing average of 30 minutes) into Oxford city centre, from two of the most deprived wards in the south of England
Be delivered quickly – in years not decades
“The Cowley Branch Line upgrade will be transformative for Oxford. It will benefit local communities, boost economic growth and create new collaborations and breakthroughs throughout the UK”
Sir John Bell
President, Ellison Institute Of Technology
Campaign members
Oxford’s leading organisations support the Cowley Branch Line
What is CBL?
The CBL project would:
- Upgrade the current freight rail line to enable passenger services to operate
- Build two new stations. Oxford Cowley (for ARC Oxford and Blackbird Leys) and Oxford Littlemore (for the Science Park and Littlemore)
- Introduce two new trains an hour to London Marylebone
- Be complete in years not decades as soon as funding is confirmed
- Enable over 1 million journeys in its first three years
- Enable over 2.5 million square feet of new workspace to be developed
Why invest in CBL?
The Cowley Branch Line is superb value for money:
- At an anticipated capital cost of £155 million, expert analysis predicts a return of £3.66 for every £1 invested, a superb return on investment
- Local organisations in East Oxford have already contributed £4.5 million and are aiming to contribute an additional £20 million towards the capital cost – it’s a shared endeavour
- Be operationally self-funding within one year
CBL will support local communities:
- CBL will benefit Oxford’s most disadvantaged areas, ensuring inclusive prosperity
- CBL will open up new car-free pathways to work in Oxford, move around Oxford and visit Oxford
- CBL will take cars off the road and change a journey that normally takes 30 minutes into one that takes 10
- CBL is popular – over 90% of the public who responded to a 2024 consultation were supportive or very supportive
CBL will support innovation:
- CBL integrates into East West Rail and the Oxford-Cambridge Corridor strategy, helping to realise the potential of the region to deliver an additional £78 billion to the UK economy by 2035
- CBL will make it easier for start-ups to scale-up in our world class ecosystem
- CBL will enable the construction of new labs, offices and places for innovative companies to start, scale and grow
- CBL will make it easier to attract global companies to base themselves in Oxford
- CBL is a two-way talent enabler – it will enable people who live outside Oxford to work there and people who live in East Oxford to work anywhere within the Oxford-Cambridge Corridor
“Cowley Branch Line is the single most important piece of infrastructure to unlock sustainable growth for Oxford. It will transform public transport for local communities, unlock new housing, create new jobs, and support Oxford’s net-zero ambitions.”
Susan Brown,
Leader of Oxford City Council
Location
News & Events
Science and tech groups lead campaign to revive Oxford rail link
Leading scientific organisations, including a major new institute funded by Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, have launched a campaign to revive the three-mile Cowley branch line to link up Oxford’s growing research centres.
Sir Patrick Vallance Meets Science & Innovation Leaders at ARC Oxford
On Monday, we welcomed Science Minister and recently appointed Oxford-Cambridge Innovation Champion, Sir Patrick Vallance, to campus where he learned more about the campus’ growing cluster of pioneering organisations, it’s growth plans and it’s decade long support for the reopening of the Cowley Branch Line.
New Cowley Branch Line video released
Oxford City Council have created a video highlighting the potential benefits of the Cowley Branch Line
Sir Patrick Vallance Meets Science & Innovation Leaders at ARC Oxford
Labour MP for Oxford east, Anneliese Dodds, was joined by Chiltern Railways and Oxford Business Park bosses on a walk in 2018 to outline the impact the rail service could have in the clogged city.