Residents living in Aylesbury Vale facing the longest wait for a train have described how the delay is ’ruining their lives’.

The £1.3 billion new East West rail line to connect MK to Oxford was officially completed 18 months ago but is still not open to passenger trains.

As part of the project a railway station was constructed in Winslow which remains closed off to passengers. And there is no mention at all of a start date from appointed operators Chiltern Railways.

The company is said to be locked in an impasse dispute with the RMT union about plans to use driver-only operation (DOO) trains, which the union claims are not safe enough.

Currently only freight runs are being used on the new line, designed to whisk people from Bletchley to Oxford in just 45 minutes. And this is causing massive frustration to residents and commuters needing to get between the two cities.

In Winslow, where a new £5m station was built in readiness for the service, fed-up residents have this week launched a petition urging parliament to intervene and speed the situation up.

Created by Winslow resident Diana Blamires, who co-founded East West Rail Action Group with fellow Winslow resident Shane Barry, the petition states: “The East West Rail Line was due to open last December for passenger services. It’s still not running. The Government needs to break the deadlock between Chiltern Railways and unions. There needs to be effective negotiation to resolve differences and find a solution. Services need to run urgently.”

The petition has already gathered 1,700 signatures and can be viewed here.

Shane said: “People moved to the East West Rail Line corridor for work and to use the train for other reasons. Some have lost jobs because of the delay. Others, who expected to take the train, are struggling to battle rush hour traffic to places like Oxford.

"The Government’s spent over £1 billion on the line. Winslow’s Station stood empty for over 12 months costing £1m a year in security costs. Winslow Station was built not fit for purpose and now it’s been announced, incredibly, the platforms are too short.”

The action group is also holding a protest outside Bletchley Station on Saturday April 25, from 11am to 3pm, in the hope that it will fast-track the opening.

Diana said: “Freight trains thunder through the night waking us yet almost two years after Winslow Station was built and East West Rail Line was completed not a single passenger has boarded a train. The unions blame Chiltern Railways, Chiltern blames the unions.

"People say the Government will wait for the Chiltern franchise to lapse then once it’s privatised say – look - now it’s opened – privatisation works. But why should we wait another year or even another day?”

Shane added: “It’s ruining lives – people have moved to Winslow and other places along the route for jobs but have to negotiate horrendous rush hour traffic or take two buses to work. People bought houses here because of the train but the service definitely isn’t starting for at least six months after it was supposed to and probably a lot longer than that. Why should people have to suffer just because the Government refuses to sort out this mess?”

A Chiltern Railways spokesperson said: "Significant progress has been made, including the hiring and training of 44 train drivers, the creation of a new colleague facility at Bletchley, and the fit out of a new modern station with step-free access at Winslow. "However, there is work still to finish to prepare the trains, on Winslow station and on the operating arrangements for the new route. We are continuing our work on these areas in conjunction with industry colleagues and will provide updates as soon as we are able to."

Meanwhile, East West Rail company bosses have announced its final consultation on the full route, which links Bletchley to Winslow, Bicester, Oxford and in Phase 2 Bedford and Cambridge. This will run from today (Tuesday April 14) to June 9 and details can be viewed here.

Contributions will be taken into consideration before a Consent Order application for government backing is submitted in 2027.