Why some trains will not be stopping at Banbury
BBCAn MP has written to a train company asking them to reconsider plans for new train services that will skip the town he represents.
Train operator CrossCountry announced a new timetable from 17 May, which includes new services running directly between Oxford and Leamington Spa - without stopping at Banbury.
The town's MP, Sean Woodcock, has questioned the decision, saying that overcrowding issues were "already a source of frustration" for commuters, and that having services skip the station could "only make things worse".
CrossCountry defended its new timetable, saying that its customers would "see no change" in the number of services from Banbury.
It said the trains concerned were four extra long-distance services that would "provide more seats for people travelling long distances."
The rail company's service delivery director, Nick Westcott, said that having services skip Banbury would encourage "people travelling locally to use other trains.
He added that Chiltern Railways was currently planning a "significant increase" to services between Banbury and Birmingham.
But Woodcock said the new trains were "plugging the gap" left by train services cut during the Covid-19 pandemic, which once contributed to a half-hourly fast service between Banbury and Oxford.
The decision to skip Banbury means there will still be an hour's gap in services between the two Oxfordshire stations at certain times of the day.
"Passengers in Banbury will not see the same improvements in frequency and connectivity as those at other stations along the route," the MP said, in a letter to Cross Country's managing director Shiona Rolfe.
"I would urge you to reconsider this approach and explore options to ensure that Banbury can share in the benefits of the revised timetable."
In response, the operator said that it "will continue to monitor passenger demand" at Banbury, and "welcome feedback on the changes".
A £16m pound scheme to improve access to Banbury Station was completed last year.
