The site is potentially important to industry and exporters in Oxford and is also not far from the East Midlands, generally regarded as the ‘Golden Triangle’ for UK logistics operators. If approved, the site would be developed by Mountpark, a developer with a proven track record of delivering logistics facilities across the UK, Ireland, and Europe.

Create an attractive working environment

The proposal for a rail freight facility was first announced in 2022. It would form part of a new logistics park near Bicester, convenient for the new East West Rail project, which is currently under construction. That line, which will eventually connect Oxford with Cambridge, has already carried some freight traffic. The prospect of a new rail freight park within a few miles of the line would be attractive to operators and help satisfy UK government-backed demands for increased rail freight operations.

RailFreight.com has been following the development for over three years, since it was first proposed.“The vision for the draft proposals is to provide a new, high-quality rail freight interchange which supports a more sustainable economy, and creates an attractive working environment,” said the promoters, Oxfordshire Railfreight Limited. “The proposals respond to the recognised need to create a network of SRFIs throughout the country as part of the Government’s ambition for more freight to be moved by rail to help create a low-carbon, sustainable transport system.”

Government shift of emphasis

The project has moved forward and advanced to a statutory consideration period. The scale of the development had brought some local opposition. The highways and transport mitigation works are complex and costly, and ORL has previously paused work to review those aspects. However, if the project passes the planning approval process, Mountpark is primed to begin work.

“The UK Government’s new Modern Industrial Strategy Policy Paper, published in June 2025, sets out a bold, 10-year vision for economic renewal,” says a Mountpark statement – although, as reported here, rail freight is somewhat overlooked. The company says that there is a shift of emphasis within government, heightening the importance of the sector, and raising awareness of rail freight as an economic driver in its own right.

“Within the paper, logistics is no longer seen as a background enabler,” says the Mountpark statement. “It’s recognised as a strategic growth sector, vital to productivity, infrastructure resilience, and regional development. For Mountpark, this is a welcome shift, reinforcing the relevance of its long-term development strategy and pivotal role in delivering the infrastructure the UK needs to grow.”

The UK government has said there is a need to develop a network of Strategic Rail Freight Interchanges (SRFIs) of which this project has been designated a part. However, with opposition elsewhere to similar proposals, there are hurdles to overcome before any trains run or, more pertinently, before any warehouses are erected.

Remote from the rail terminal

After leaving Bicester North, trains heading for Birmingham, along the Chiltern Main Line, soon pass the disused runway of Upper Heyford military air base. Strategic bombers no longer line up on the apron in readiness for the realm’s defence. However, the site is still at the heart of the conflict, with a hot war of words being waged over Oxfordshire Railfreight Limited’s proposals for a Strategic Rail Freight Interchange (SRFI) on land east of the former air base.

The SRFI will serve as a logistics park, which will see over 600,000 square metres of warehousing and associated infrastructure. The promoters of OxSRFI say the proposal responds to the need to create a network of Strategic Rail Freight Interchanges throughout the country and that private sector investment such as this, and the transfer of freight from road to rail, will contribute to a low-carbon economy and address climate change. However, it has been noted that the campus will also need significant dedicated road installations.

Highways agency insist on substantial engineering

Objections have been raised among locally elected representatives. One councillor, Ian Corkin, has spoken to local media, expressing concerns about the limited capacity of the rail line and whether it can handle additional intermodal freight paths. He has also voiced worries about the project’s impact on nearby villages. It does rather sound like St Albans all over again. It may be noted that despite job opportunities, there are no plans for a passenger station to accompany the development. With the campus layout, the councillor was also concerned by the number of heavy goods vehicles that may be used to service the wider logistics park.

The national highways agency has insisted on substantial engineering works to adjacent motorway junctions. They may well feel the same as the councillor. Despite the promoters’ emphasis on rail freight opportunities, trucking would appear to still figure highly. In that light, a statement says that the promoters have decided to “pause the wider work on the project to allow for a thorough review to take place, due to the scale and complexity of the emerging highways infrastructure works and associated transport measures”. If approved, the proposed site will be developed by Mountpark, a developer of logistics parks across Europe.

Key route from Southampton to Midlands

Network Rail says that the infrastructure in the Oxford Station area is working at close to full capacity. The Oxford corridor is a key freight route from the port of Southampton to the Midlands and the north. NR say that without further work, it will not be able to accommodate the increase in both passenger and freight services planned for 2024 and beyond.

“To increase capacity, ‘Oxford Corridor Phase 2’ is being developed, and subject to funding, will provide a number of improvements”, say NR. “Key benefits (include an) increase in capacity to accommodate an additional 12 freight trains per day.”

Increasing freight services

Aside from significant remodelling of the station – including increasing platform faces from four to five, with provision for further expansion later in the decade – Network Rail has a raft of track and infrastructure enhancements in mind, including closing two-level crossings. “Increasing demand for rail freight services means more train paths are required. More trains on the line would increase the risk at two-level crossings along the route.”

The two locations, north of the city at Sandy Lane and Yarnton Lane, directly impact freight services connecting with terminals in the Midlands and the North. “Closing the crossings would allow us to provide capacity for an additional two freight trains per hour, additional Birmingham to Oxford services, and increased maintenance access and safety improvements”, says Network Rail. “Options for closing the two crossings are currently being considered.”

Other plans to generate freight traffic locally

The Oxford Phase 2 scheme is future-proofed for electrification, says Network Rail. They say that will bring cleaner, quieter trains. Electrification remains a regional priority for NR. For freight to take full advantage of wiring, additional work would be required to take overhead wires to Southampton. However, if diesel is not under the wires, then bi-mode would appear to be the solution for the foreseeable future.

With the UK’s changing pattern of rail usage since the pandemic, freight has become more critical in the project. “Oxfordshire holds a strategically vital position for rail freight, particularly for intermodal and automotive flows between the Port of Southampton and the Midlands”, explained a Network Rail statement. “Oxford station is nearing full capacity and cannot robustly accommodate the further service enhancements set out in the 2024 train service specification. Improving rail’s service offering will support wider benefits including connectivity to jobs and housing and regional economic growth.”

The approved plans allow for more freight traffic in Oxford. However, separate plans are in hand for generating traffic locally. Last year, a public consultation was launched on proposals for a new warehouse and rail freight park near Bicester, a short distance northeast of Oxford. The Strategic Rail Freight Interchange (SRFI) would be adjacent to the Chiltern Main Line. The site is potentially important to industry and exporters in Oxford and is convenient for the ‘Golden Triangle’ for UK logistics operators.