Civic chiefs are prepared to act as brokers to try to end the growing feud over the future of the controversial Epping-Ongar railway.

Epping Forest District Council's intervention comes as the October deadline looms for the owners to resume commuter services.

And it coincides with the offer of a six-figure investment into the line by rivals Ongar Railway Preservation Society

Officers led by chief executive John Burgess have already held in-depth talks with ORPS, which lost the race to run the railway two years ago.

Now they plan to invite both sides to a meeting intended to shift the logjam over the integration of the Ongar line with the Underground at Epping.

ORPS chairman John Glover said: "We hope that a mutually attractive dialogue will develop leading to a new and long-term vibrant future for the railway. All parties should now work together in common trust and for the common interest."

The preservation society is also offering a solution to the Epping station hold-up. Its members are prepared to invest £450,000 into the interchange which is the shortfall between the £50,000 Epping Ongar Railway has budgeted and the actual cost.

The investment would give ORPS around 33 per cent of the company's equity and an influential voice in the line's future development.

Another alternative was that ORPS bought out the existing shareholders whose total investment, according to Mr Glover, is £901,600.

He added: "Over the last few years there's been a great deal of mistrust brought about by concern that the line wasn't in good hands and that the end game was property development and not the durable running of the railway."

Railway chairman Bill Camplisson, who owns 45.7 per cent of the shares, immediately rejected any idea of an investment by ORPS.

He said: "After all the aggravation they and John Glover have caused us? Absolutely not! It's preposterous and I've got better things to do running this company than to waste time discussing it."

Mr Camplisson said that he was in regular contact with London Underground bosses and local Tory MPs, Eric Pickles and Eleanor Laing about the way forward.

"Negotiations are continuing at a high level and we're lobbying for government support on the basis that we have relieved the Underground of an obligation they did not wish to bear.

"They should contribute to any changes at Epping: it's wrong that we're not allowed into that station for free."

Mr Camplisson conceded that it was "getting tough" for his company to comply with the October 1 commuter service deadline.

If that did not happen a heritage railway would be launched, he said.

A council spokesman said: "Our concern is that the rail service between Epping and Ongar restarts as soon as possible and we hope to encourage all interested parties to work together."

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