Bristol-Oxford Direct Service

[whole diary]

[Oberon]

Ten local MPs^▸ (Member of Parliament) have been trying to persuade the Transport Secretary to introduce a new Bristol-Oxford service as part of the Great Western franchise starting in 2015.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-29430204

Intriguing - would there be enough line capacity to support this with four express trains per hour running in each direction daily, plus anything else on wheels, including quite a bit of freight?

[John R]

Well it ran before for a few years, before the SRA^» (Strategic Rail Authority - about) killed it 0ff in around 2003. There is much less freight traffic these days with the closure of Didcot A, so maybe. Although 4 express tph becomes 7 tph in 2017.

It would appear a logical extension of an East West Rail service however, so maybe that will be the catalyst for reinstatement, along with stations at Corsham, Royal WB, and maybe Wantage Rd, if the stop can be fitted in amongst the 7 IEPs^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.).

[grahame]

Ten local MPs^▸ (Member of Parliament) have been trying to persuade the Transport Secretary to introduce a new Bristol-Oxford service as part of the Great Western franchise starting in 2015.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-29430204

Intriguing - would there be enough line capacity to support this with four express trains per hour running in each direction daily, plus anything else on wheels, including quite a bit of freight?

It's in line with where LEP^» (Local Enterprise Partnership - about) proposals see things going forward over the next 10 to fifteen years, and it provides an extension of the extra Bristol Metro service to Bath which there was talk of turning at Bathampton.  Lot of sense ... we would need to have the 75 mph stock on TransWilts services replaced by 90 mph stock in due course, but then we're needing to step it up from 1 to 2 car units in due course  

[Red Squirrel]

Well it ran before for a few years, before the SRA^» (Strategic Rail Authority - about) killed it 0ff in around 2003. There is much less freight traffic these days with the closure of Didcot A, so maybe. Although 4 express tph becomes 7 tph in 2017.

It would appear a logical extension of an East West Rail service however, so maybe that will be the catalyst for reinstatement, along with stations at Corsham, Royal WB, and maybe Wantage Rd, if the stop can be fitted in amongst the 7 IEPs^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.).

I remember using that service, reversing at Didcot. Would it be possible/desirable to cut out Didcot and use the curve that passes the Signalling Centre?

[grahame]

I remember using that service, reversing at Didcot. Would it be possible/desirable to cut out Didcot and use the curve that passes the Signalling Centre?

At least one of the peak hour services into Oxford did use the curve, which is still open for passenger trains (1 Xc train in the evening - we spoke about it somewhere). http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=14359.msg159226#msg159226

This proposal also duplicate part of the Go-op proposals. http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=11010.0

[John R]

I thought most services avoided Didcot, and it was the exception for them to call there. But then it was 10 years ago now....

[Red Squirrel]

Maybe I just got lucky!

[TonyK]

It was around 10 years ago that the direct Bristol - Oxford service was withdrawn, the week before I was due to use it for the first time ever. It turned left at Foxhall Junction, just west of Didcot Parkway, so avoiding the station. As I recall, "consultation" on the closure took place to close it at a time just before it would have cost the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) money - I forget the details. Congestion was said to be the biggest driver for closure. Since then, of course, Didcot power station has ceased to be, as have the regular coal trains from Avonmouth and Royal Portbury Dock. There is room for a resumption of services, and probably sufficient demand, too.

[didcotdean]

Fortunately for me, most of the services did stop at Didcot. At that time though there were rather fewer Didcot to Swindon services than there are today, particularly off peak.

Unfortunately the service was so subject to cancellations, some knock on effects of problems elsewhere that were tens of miles away, and it seemed to run at the lowest priority. I recall having to wait at Swindon over 3/4 of an hour because of an unexplained cancellation. During that time 3 London services went through all without Didcot stops and control refused to add one even though requested by station staff.

I see that Ed Vaizey is top of the list - and he promotes himself as MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) for Didcot and Wantage so maybe he wants a new service between points in his constituency ...

[grahame]

Summer 2001 ... Monday to Friday from Swindon at 07:01, 08:05, 09:45, 10:40, 12:12, 13:12, 14:11, 15:10, 16:35, 18:14, 19:40, 20:31 and 21:42 ... only the 08:05 missed Didcot.    2 trains skipped Didcot on Saturday morning, all called there on Sunday.   The 08:05 was the one that I used to use ... and much the busiest train of the day, which is why lots of us remember skipping Didcot.

[grahame]

We have a separate board for Swindon to Oxford 

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?board=22.0

[ellendune]

... so maybe that will be the catalyst for reinstatement, along with stations at Corsham, Royal WB, and maybe Wantage Rd, if the stop can be fitted in amongst the 7 IEPs^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.).

At Wantage there is a loop so perhaps tht would not be a capacity issue. 

[bobm]

Didn't they cease to make way for the Paddington to Cardiff services which ran (and still do run) between the hourly Swansea services?

[IndustryInsider]

It's probably the only sensible way stations stations at Grove (for Wantage), Wootton Bassett and Corsham could ever be provided and, to me at least, it makes more sense running a Bristol to Bedford (and ultimately Cambridge) service using a 110/125mph EMU^▸ (Electric Multiple Unit) of some description.  The market is there for direct journeys from Bristol/Bath to Oxford.  The market is there for services at those reopened stations, and that would be possible without stopping any of the faster IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) services.  And the market is there for longer journeys through services from stations such as Bristol/Bath/Chippenham/Swindon to Milton Keynes/Bedford (and the links with the WCML^▸ (West Coast Main Line) and MML^» (Midland Main Line. - about) they afford).  That's three birds killed with one stone!

Running East-West Rail as a stopping service from Reading to Bedford/Milton Keynes seems a missed opportunity to me, particularly with Crossrail opening up easier links from Reading via London, so I would love to see a proper East-West Rail service each hour from Bristol to Bedford (then Cambridge) service calling at Bath, Corsham, Chippenham, Wootton Bassett, Swindon, Grove, Didcot Parkway, Oxford, Bicester Town, Winslow, Bletchley and Bedford.

[Trowres]

It was around 10 years ago that the direct Bristol - Oxford service was withdrawn, the week before I was due to use it for the first time ever. It turned left at Foxhall Junction, just west of Didcot Parkway, so avoiding the station. As I recall, "consultation" on the closure took place to close it at a time just before it would have cost the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) money - I forget the details. Congestion was said to be the biggest driver for closure. Since then, of course, Didcot power station has ceased to be, as have the regular coal trains from Avonmouth and Royal Portbury Dock. There is room for a resumption of services, and probably sufficient demand, too.

The service was, I believe, registered as "experimental" under the wonderfully titled "Speller Amendment". See http://www.railwaycodes.org.uk/misc/experimental.shtm .  The service was terminated several days before the experimental period would have ended.