Great Western Coffee Shop

I was just wondering what happens when Chiltern trains start public running between Oxford and Marylebone shortly.  If I buy, for example, a cheap day return from Oxford to London, is it valid via either Reading or Bicester. If so, would it be valid out by one route and return by the other?

From London to Bicester are fares the same to Bicester North as Bicester Village via Reading or High Wycombe?

Will fares from Oxford Parkway be the same as from Oxford [Botley Road] station?  Does the Botley Road station acquire a suffix to differentiate it from Parkway?  I don't think it has ever had one before, even when the LMS had Rewley Road station next door.

Too many questions . . .

Why not ask Journey Planner? It knows, we are assured.

After 12th December it will offer you Oxford-London (any station) tickets for trains of either company. If you click on the "other trains" button it gives you a list with both services in it. So it must be true.

It'll be just like any oother journey that can be made via two routes.
If it says "Any permitted", it will be valid via BIT or RDG. If it says "Chiltern Only", only via BIT. There can't be a "Via Reading" ticket, as GWR can only set the Any Permitted fare, as they are (currently, and I can't see them giving this up, can you?) not allowed to undercut that fare.


The fare from London to BIT is only routed via HWY, and you won't be able to buy any other routing. So MYB only. Of course, there will be tickets from other LTV stations that will route via OXF, but not London. If you want to travel from PAD to BIT, you'll need another ticket (either from Islip, I haven't checked London/Islip routings yet - or OXF) to get you there.


No suffix, one is OXP & the Botley Road station is OXF. You'll need to check the journey planner as I don't know. Nor have I checked whether OXP routing from London is via HWY only (it may well be) or valid via OXF.


Not really, and all solvable with the journey planner

Chiltern appear from searches to be undercutting the minimum Oxford-London advance price by 50p in December.

As an aside Didcot to Wembley Stadium tickets are valid via both Paddington and High Wycombe (itself valid via Oxford Parkway or Banbury).

The latter is a hang-over of pre-Chiltern Oxford services - I think bia Banbury will be removed & a possibly cheaper fare brought in.

For Didcot to Wembley Stadium and similar journeys from outer Thames Valley to inner Chiltern destinations, there are currently two routing options on walk up fares.

✠ANY PERMITTED, and
NOT VIA LONDON

Both priced by GWR.

It'll be interesting to see whether Chiltern do actually try to introduce cheaper walk up fares to go with the aforementioned Chiltern Advance Purchase fares from Oxford to London.

With GWR being lead operator and inter-available fare setter of outer Thames Valley to London, they may express objections to the DfT should Chiltern propose a suite of new walk up fares. Hopefully the DfT will recognise the competition element and allow the market to decide.

Perhaps we'll see Chiltern adverts at Oxford and in London making playful digs at GWR, as they do against Virgin for Birmingham-London.

The current walk-up fares between London Terminals and Bicester Village are routed: ANY PERMITTED and priced by GWR.

Ok, I'd been tild that had/was about to change. Maybe on Dec 12, but happy to be corrected.

Try getting that journey from PAD via RDG to BIT on the journey planner after Dec 12. Tells you that you need 2 tickets....so no longer valid that way

GWR got in with that wheeze first as they covered Marylebone underground station earlier this year with the details of their advance fares to Oxford.

It seems to do the same if you put in today's date as well

The final arbiter of routeing validity is the National Routeing Guide. That's not much help at present as it doesn't explicity list Bicester Village. It does however list the station's previous name -  Bicester Town. Village also keeps the same CRS code allocated to Town - BIT.


If the Routeing Guide only changes the station name in the future and doesn't alter the permissions, then London Terminals to Bicester Village will remain valid via Reading on an ANY PERMITTED fare. That's regardless of what a journey planner might say. If the Routeing Guide doesn't add Bicester Village and new permissions (along with fares flows being passed to Chiltern), then I'd suggest the legacy permissions to Town should prevail.