A FLYOVER east of Didcot's railway station could be built by Network Rail to deal with future demand.

Western route boss Mark Langman revealed it could be similar to the one built at Reading train station last year.

And documents which set out how the rail network could be improved over the next 30 years say the cost of the scheme could be as much as £100m.

Mr Langman said: "We are looking at whether we can tackle the future congestion point where the lines to Oxford and Swindon diverge and how we could support that with a flyover.

"We are starting to think about the future but we have not yet developed it enough to know the details and we would have to be sure it can be funded."

Mr Langman said the work could be the next phase of Didcot's 'astounding' growth in recent years, referring to its new garden town status.

This will see 15,000 homes and £120m of infrastructure funding delivered over 15 years.

Mr Langman said: "The new housing that is planned is a reflection, I think, of Didcot's position on the Great Western Mainline from London and future electrified services.

"It is a place where people want to live and their primary mode of transport can be the railway.

"We are really starting to see inwards investment in the area now and people want to grow Didcot – it is starting to transform.

"You can really see what happens to somewhere when there is investment in the railways."

Proposals for a railway flyover at the Didcot East junction are in the early stages, it is understood.

But in its draft western route study, consulted on last year, Network Rail said the cost of work could be anywhere between £50m and £100m.

The scheme has been devised as part of a package of measures to increase capacity between Didcot and Oxford.

By 2019, it is estimated the route will be a 'saturation point' and no extra services will be possible.

To cope with booming passenger numbers and increasing amounts of freight expected beyond then, Network Rail has proposed the flyover as well as extra tracks between Oxford and Didcot and a new platform at Oxford Station.

In its western route study, it said this would allow express trains from London and Reading to head towards Oxford without being held up.

It said: "Any increase in the number of services above 2019 [levels] would require a comprehensive

infrastructure intervention to improve the separation and management of traffic flows on this corridor which diverge north of Oxford."