Commuters have branded it a 'disgrace' that they are unable to catch a train from a £5 million railway station more than a year after it was completed.
Winslow Train Station in Buckinghamshire finished construction in October 2024 but has yet to welcome passengers, with only heritage steam and freight trains currently running along the line.
The £5 million station, which has been under construction since 2020, forms part of the wider £1.3 billion East West Rail (EWR) project linking Milton Keynes and Oxford.
The line itself is part of a £6 billion Government-backed scheme to reconnect Oxford and Cambridge by rail for the first time since 1967 - a move expected to create thousands of jobs and boost the regional economy.
Passenger services at Winslow were initially expected to begin later in 2025. However, the station has remained dormant amid a series of setbacks, including union disputes, construction delays and a shortage of ready-to-run trains.
The ongoing hold-up has sparked fury among Winslow's residents, who are still without a confirmed opening date.
Local Diana Blamires told the Daily Mail it is an 'absolute disgrace' the station remains shut, placing the blame squarely on the government.
She said: 'It is the government that is to blame at the end of the day - the Department for Transport call the shots.'
'The government are throwing away thousands of pounds of taxpayer's money with this station, and wasting everybody's time with a station that is not open, a line that is not running and a passenger service that is not running.'
Rachael Lee, who moved to Winslow for its rail links, said the delay 'takes the mickey,' given the station appears ready to use.
She told The Times: 'All the lights are on and there's ticket machines that are on.'
'Who's paying for all of that? It just feels like it takes the mickey when you drive and walk past it.'
A string of issues has been blamed for the delays. Minor construction problems have repeatedly pushed back the opening date - from 2019 to 2024, then to 2025, and now.
A dispute between Chiltern Railways - who were appointed by the government to operate EWR services - and the RMT union over whether trains should have guards to open and close doors has also played a role.
The union opposes Driver Only Operation (DOO), arguing it is unsafe. As a result, driver training, which began last year, has yet to be completed.
However, an RMT spokesperson denied that the dispute has caused delays to the East West Rail, saying the project has been 'held back for years by indecision, rising costs and unresolved planning issues.'
They attributed planning, land acquisition and construction as the real reasons the project is far from completion.
Another unresolved issue centres on an emergency exit at the station that opens onto land not owned by Network Rail or Chiltern Railways, raising potential legal and safety concerns.
Industry sources have said they hope the line could open in the second half of the year, but this has done little to reassure frustrated locals.
Ray Dewberry, 72, who has lived next to Winslow Station for three years, said residents do not know what is going on.
He told The Sun: 'It's silly how much money they've spent and it's still not open. I'd use it all the time if it was cheap enough.'
'We had some correspondence before Christmas to say it would open soon but nothing since.'
Roy and Bridget Kelsey, who have lived in the town for nine years, also said the lack of progress is of 'concern.'
Roy said: 'Two years ago we were all invited to a meeting when the construction was taking place and they had quite a lot of managerial types painting a wonderful, rosy picture of how everything was going to go.
A dispute between Chiltern Railways and the RMT union over whether trains should have guards to open and close doors has also played a role in the station's (pictured) delayed opening
A resident who has lived next to Winslow Station (pictured) for three years, said 'nobody seems to know what's going on'
'Now it has come to a full stop.'
Natalie Wheble, external affairs director for EWR, said 'a review of all infrastructure requirements' has been required to match the demand for services.
She said: 'To meet increasing demand for passenger services, we recently announced our intention to increase the frequency of services and also to extend the number of carriages on each train.'
'This uplift in capacity has led to a review of all infrastructure requirements and in the case of Winslow station, a decision has been taken to extend the platforms, so it can accommodate the use of longer trains.'
'Any work to extend platforms at Winslow would not affect the introduction of Chiltern's new services and work to extend the platforms could be carried out whilst the station is operational.'
A Chiltern Railways spokesperson added it has been working 'at pace' to begin services on the line, but there is still work to be done.
They said: 'We have been working at pace to get everything ready for services to begin on the new line.'
'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.'
The Department for Transport has been contacted for comment.