Infrastructure plans to support a new multi-billion pound rail line through Oxfordshire have been announced.

As part of the East West Rail project, developers have proposed closing Bicester’s busy London Road level crossing and replacing it with a footbridge or underpass.

They also suggest additional facilities should be installed at Oxford, Oxford Parkway and Bicester Village railway stations.

The East West Railway (EWR) will eventually connect Oxford and Cambridge via Bicester, Milton Keynes and Bedford, with the Oxford to Milton Keynes section. will open next year.

EWR chief executive David Hughes said the service would “improve people’s daily lives”.

“Local authorities and businesses have been calling for this railway for three decades and our revised plans aim to maximize the benefits of the project,” he said.

EWR said the Bicester Road crossing would be forced to close for more than 32 minutes out of every 60 minutes to accommodate the scheduled four services per hour on the route.

It was stated that this would create “unacceptable” waiting times for those using the crossing and traffic queues would “double”, as well as create “significant safety concerns”.

The company instead proposed permanently closing the crossing and replacing it with an overpass or underpass for pedestrians and cyclists.

According to the plans, road traffic will be rerouted over existing roads.

Other suggestions include improvements to pre-existing stations and partially electrified lineswith trains using hybrid batteries.

Consultations on the proposals will last 10 weeks.

Councilor Liz Leffman, chair of England’s Economic Heartland, the national transport body for the Oxford-Milton Keynes-Cambridge region, said: “The launch of this consultation represents a significant milestone for a project that the region has been campaigning for for decades.

“We must ensure that the scheme delivered is planned, built and operated to leave the best possible legacy for our communities, businesses, the environment and our wider transport system.”

EWR previously told the BBC that journey times between Oxford and Cambridge would be cut to 90 minutes from the current “two and a half hours by car or bus”.

The entire line is expected to be opened to passengers in the early 2030s.