From Oxford heading north, you can go in three directions by rail - turn left for Worcester, go straight ahead for Banbury and the North, and turn right on a (currently) truncated service to Bicester.

I was in Cambridge this week, and travelled back last night - by road, as I had major luggage with me, and a diversion after Milton Keynes brought me to a sign that said "Verney Junction" - somewhere I had heard of and I knew that bu following the line of the railway I would get (via there) to Bicester and Oxford.


Verney Junction - the sign still says "Stop and phone the signalman if you have a large or slow vehicle" but there's not been a train for years.


Underneath the undergrowth at Verney Junction - Track still in place


The old Bletchley bound platform


Verney Junction is a small village - a railway community now without the railway


Middle Claydon


Middle Claydon

From Calvert (where the line meets the truncated old Great Central line), there is a line which appears to be in use and good condition - freight?


Near Marsh Gibbon


Launton

Although sections of the line look pretty depressing and the countryside is rural in the area I was passing through, this route could offer a fantastic opportunity to provide crosscountry connections between major towns, and a superb connectional service that meant that many journeys which currently involve goion in and out of London would be much shorter.

If you doubt whether people want an "orbital" / London avoiding route, have a look at just how busy the M25 has become.

The line through Verney Junction is technically mothballed by NWR, the station revamp at Milton Keynes and especially at Belchley have had to make sure that the future use of the line to Oxford was not affected by the works.   There has been talk of and Aylesbury Vale Parkway to Oxford, Blechley / Milton Keynes, this really is in the hands of Buckinhamshire County Council to act as sponsor to secure funding from DoT, then an Oxford to Bedford service could well be on the cards; extension to Cambridge would be more difficult as Cambridge County Council are building a guided bus route on what was the line.

The other use if a suitable cord (or line rebuilt) would be WCML divert

The part of the line between Bedford and Cambridge isn't where "Cambridge County Council are building a guided bus route on what was the line" : that's the line from Cambridge to St Ives. Details at http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/transport/guided/.

However, the old line from Bedford to Cambridge is blocked by a very long radio telescope.

The County Councils who are involved in the East West Rail Consortium have identified an alternative route that they are proposing for the Sandy to Cambridge section. This involves using the ECML southwards from Sandy to Hitchin and then using the Hitchin to Cambridge line. Full details at http://www.eastwestrail.org/route/central.php.