Work on re-establishing the East-West route from Oxford to Bletchley (Milton Keynes) is already under way. Plans to restore passenger services between Oxford and Cowley are in the pipeline, and now the revival of the Oxford-Witney has again been mooted. The history of these three routes, plus others in the area, is outlined in rail enthusiast Laurence Waters’s latest book, Railways of Oxford, A Transport Hub that Links Britain. The Oxford-Bletchley line opened in 1851 and was part of an important cross-country route for both passengers and freight, which eventually stretched to Bedford and Cambridge. At the Oxford end, trains ran across the famous swing bridge into the Rewley Road station, on the site of the former Rewley Abbey founded in about 1287.