The government has approved the long-awaited reopening of the Oxford Cowley rail branch line, marking a major step in its plan to transform the Oxford-Cambridge corridor into what ministers have described as “Europe’s Silicon Valley.”
The £155 million project forms part of a wider £500 million investment package unveiled by Chancellor Rachel Reeves and will be funded through a partnership between the Treasury, contributing £120 million, and private investors led by the Ellison Institute of Technology Oxford, which will add £35 million.
Closed to passengers for over six decades, the revived Cowley line will connect south Oxford and the Oxford Science Park directly to central Oxford and London Marylebone. The link is expected to significantly enhance transport for thousands of scientists, students, and professionals working in the region’s growing research and technology sectors.
As part of the project, the Ellison Institute—founded by Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison—will design and build one of two new stations at Littlemore, adjacent to its expanding Oxford campus. The 2 million square foot facility, designed by Lord Foster of Thames Bank, is set to open in 2027 and will eventually host around 7,000 staff and researchers.
The institute has pledged to invest £10 billion over the next decade in technology and science initiatives aimed at tackling global challenges such as health, food security, and climate change.
Chancellor Reeves said the investment would “lay the foundations for thousands of skilled jobs and pioneering research that will benefit working people across the country,” while addressing long-standing underinvestment in transport and housing across the Oxford-Cambridge arc.
Alongside the Cowley line project, the Treasury will provide £400 million in seed funding for affordable housing, infrastructure, and business development in Cambridge, furthering efforts to strengthen the region’s innovation ecosystem.
Lisa Flashner, Chief Operating Officer of the Ellison Institute, said the new rail link would be crucial to attracting top global talent. “The new line will help us recruit world-class scientists and foster closer collaboration with Oxford University,” she said.
Lord Vallance, Minister for Science and a former GlaxoSmithKline executive, said the corridor “has all the ingredients to become the UK’s answer to Silicon Valley or the Boston Cluster,” emphasising that the area’s mix of innovation and investment would “ensure that potential is realised.”
The announcement comes amid growing pressure on the government to stimulate economic growth ahead of next month’s Budget. By aligning infrastructure spending with private-sector innovation, Reeves aims to demonstrate that the UK remains open to global collaboration and science-led investment.
