About 150 Oxford residents attended a meeting in Wolvercote on Thursday 25th March to debate the proposed ‘Evergreen 3’ rail project. The Board of Chiltern Railways Limited gave a complete presentation on the details of their proposal to build a privately funded line from Oxford Station to London via Bicester. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Evan Harris MP, and was organised as a result of growing concerns that living close to the line and in Oxford could be made less attractive unless key changes are made to the scheme.
Chiltern Railways confirmed that it was possible that profit motives could override environmental considerations in some key areas of public concern. Adrian Shooter, Chairman of Chiltern Railways cited 19th century railway legislation as the authority for trains to be run at whatever times of day or night and at whatever speeds the operating rail and freight companies deemed most profitable to the business. It is planned to accelerate trains to 75 mph in Oxford, reaching 100 mph through Islip village.
Local residents raised their fears about the increased noise; vibration and subsidence that they expect to affect their houses close to the proposed line.
Sir Muir Gray, director of the National Knowledge Service of the NHS raised the issue of PM10 particulate pollution from diesel trains. He said that living in close proximity to a diesel-operated railway could raise the risk of respiratory diseases including lung cancer. Dick Herring of Oxfordshire County Council’s Transport Department confirmed that even though the County were generally in favour of the new line, they remained unhappy at the absence of detailed road traffic impact studies.
The meeting concluded by voting on the motion: “We call on Chiltern Railways to address the concerns raised in this meeting and to reconsider the proposals they have put to the Secretary of State.” It was passed without any opposition.
Jonathan Gittos, the Chairman of Engage Oxford, commented: ‘We all welcome the wider benefits of faster and greener travel from modern railways but we hope that Chiltern Railways will work with local residents to make sure these benefits are not won at grave cost to people living close to the line’
We have included the minutes from the meeting and Chiltern's presentation below