Buckinghamshire Council has begun installing double yellow lines in Winslow for railway passengers who have yet to arrive.

Town councillor Diana Blamires disclosed that the local authority is adding parking restrictions near the railway station.

Officials told Blamires the measures were intended to prevent rail travellers from leaving vehicles on residential roads.

The complication is that the station remains unopened.

Winslow’s railway facility was expected to resume operations in December 2025, having shut permanently almost six decades earlier.

The authority stated the restrictions were to prevent rail users from using residential streets for parking, even though the station stays closed.

Locals celebrated when East West Rail confirmed the station would be restored to serve the Oxford to Milton Keynes section of the initiative.

Yet despite trains successfully running on the track more than two years ago, no commencement date has been set for the initial phase, nor for the station’s reopening.

Service launch has been postponed due to disagreements with railway unions over whether conductors should be mandated for the new operations.

Lord Hendy, the Rail Minister, contacted Diana Blamires, who co-founded the East West Rail Action Group and serves as a town councillor, following serious concerns about the scheme’s expense and timeline.

In correspondence, Lord Hendy stated that numerous operational prerequisites must be fulfilled before passenger services can commence.

He explained that while much of this work occurs out of public view, each requirement is vital to guarantee passengers can travel on a railway that is safe, dependable and prepared from day one.

He acknowledged that setbacks have inevitably undermined public faith in the scheme and caused frustration for communities, businesses and prospective travellers who anticipated the railway being operational by now.

Lord Hendy also highlighted that by 2050, EWR is projected to add £6.7 billion annually to the Oxford to Cambridge regional economy.

This follows revelations that the project’s costs have surged to £7 billion, substantially exceeding original estimates.

Rail Minister Lord Hendy had previously indicated the new route was slated for the December timetable, a claim EWR has firmly rejected.

In a written House of Lords statement in June, Lord Hendy advised that Chiltern had collaborated with Network Rail, the Department for Transport and other operators on the December 2026 timetable, with services planned between Oxford, Winslow, Bletchley and Milton Keynes.

EWR has strongly refuted this characterization.

The Government has advocated for Driver-Controlled or Driver-Only Operation, a cost-reduction approach widely implemented on London commuter services during the 1980s.

Trade unions have widely condemned this approach and strike action remains possible over the disagreement.