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The line between Hinksey and Kennington in January 2003, a scene repeated last July

Action to protect the main railway line through Oxford from flooding should be a priority for Network Rail, according to the body representing the rail freight industry.

The route came within inches of being being engulfed at Kennington a fortnight ago, for the second time in six months.

Lord Berkeley, the chairman of the Rail Freight Group, which represents rail freight operators and customers, said it was obvious something needed to be done to keep trains running during future flood alerts in the city.

Network Rail said it had already learned lessons from the flooding last July, which had helped its engineers to keep the line open last month.

Last summer, trains were unable to run between Oxford and Didcot for a week, after water covered the tracks and forced engineers to remove signalling equipment to prevent damage.

Passengers had to use buses, while freight trains between the North of England, the West Midlands and the port of Southampton were diverted on much longer routes. Flooding also forced the closure of the line for several days in January 2003.

Last month, Network Rail kept a 24-hour watch on the tracks as the Thames and its side channels again spilled over their banks near the railway, but trains continued to run.

Lord Berkeley, who lives in Summertown, Oxford, and is a regular passenger on the line, said: "It is not only important for passengers, it's a vital freight route to Southampton, which is Britain's second busiest port. It is critical to our economy.

Lord Berkeley

"There needs to be a plan at Network Rail to make things more resilient and weather-proof, especially as we seem to be getting more extreme conditions now.

"It's obvious something needs to be done, but I don't see an acceptance within Network Rail that it needs to be done."

He said that while scrub clearance work alongside the tracks appeared to have helped to some degree, better drains and culverts could also help.

He suggested that discussions should be held with the Environment Agency about whether the nearby watercourses could be straightened, to improve water flow past the area between Hinksey sidings and Kennington.

Network Rail spokesman Michael Cavanagh said: "In Oxford, Network Rail is part of a local flood group run by Oxford City Council that looks at flood prevention.

"As far as the railway in the area is concerned, we are looking to undertake a feasibility study to investigate ways in which we may be able to lessen the risk of disruption, should flooding be an issue in future.

"It is safe to say that the floods last summer were pretty much unprecedented, but they also allowed us to learn about what measures are effective in tackling the problem.

"When flooding threatened the railway again recently, we were able to apply these lessons and worked hard to keep lines open."

2:12pm Monday 4th February 2008

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