COMMUTERS have welcomed proposals to improve First Great Western services running through Oxfordshire but said they should have happened “a long time ago”.

Yesterday the rail firm announced that it will continue to operate trains through Oxfordshire until April 2019 after an agreement with the Department of Transport.

The new franchise promises benefits, including 9,000 extra seats a day and free wi-fi, to customers along the North Cotswolds route from Hereford, Worcester via Evesham, Charlbury, Oxford and through to London.

It said proposals include new ticket machines in Evesham and Moreton-in-Marsh, more car parking spaces in Charlbury and Hanborough along with 100 new spaces promised for Kingham.

The demand for extra seats follows a report by the Oxford Mail last year that three of the 10 most crowded trains in the country pass through Oxfordshire, including the 7am from Oxford to Paddington which saw 368 passengers competing for 241 seats.


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But according to the train company, Oxford Railway Station has been pledged new electric trains for journeys to London and “more frequent stopping services”.

Commuter Dennis Tan, who has been commuting from Oxford to Paddington five days a week, said he was often hit by delays. Former OxRail Action spokesman Stanley Skoglund added: “I welcome what they have done but they should have done this a long time ago.”