COULD tram-trains be the solution to Witney’s transport problems?

These machines, which are serving the people of Sheffield, Manchester and Edinburgh, could offer a long-term solution to Witney’s transport woes, and help lift the foot off the windpipe off West Oxfordshire – a metaphor that David Cameron so aptly created.

The fact the trams can run on rail and road would make them ideal for running along the congested A40 corridor and linking up with the rail network in Oxford.

The money for such an ambitious scheme is not going to come from the Government. In the age of austerity, the cash will have to come from big business.

Any mooted scheme would have to prove to be highly profitable to attract business interest. It would involve not just putting in the necessary tracks and infrastructure but also changing culture.

Decisions will also have to be made about whether to run the tram along a widened A40 or to try to find an alternative route along the disused Witney to Oxford railway line.

So it is a possible solution, but whether it is ever likely to happen is a much tougher question.