Oxford station - facilities, improvements, parking, incidents and events - merged posts

[whole diary]

[vacman]

I've found that the BTP^▸ (British Transport Police) are better the further west you go, Bristol are pretty "average" Exeter are mostly very good, Plymouth are mostly very good and Truro are absolutely superb (despite only 2 officers at Truro), the two at Truro seem to do more work than the whole of Reading and Padd put together, you only need to see the amount of press releases on this very forum from Truro!

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Oxford Mail:

Purge on abandoned bikes

Owners of bikes abandoned at Oxford Railway Station have until tomorrow to ^remove them or lose them^.

Six weeks ago train operator First Great Western and British Transport Police tagged about 500 bikes left in racks outside the station.

The company said the purge was part of a clampdown on vandalised and abandoned bikes which had been left outside the station and were take up valuable space needed by Rail passengers.

Spokesman Dan Panes said: ^We do this quite regularly. About six weeks ago we tagged all the bikes outside the station and put a note on explaining what we were doing. We explained people had until March 29 to remove the tag otherwise their bike would be seized, refurbished and sent to charity.^

[IndustryInsider]

I must say that in my (fairly) frequent visits to Oxford over the past six months or so I have certainly noticed a marked increase in BTP^▸ (British Transport Police) presence in and around the station, be it PC's or PCSO's.  Good stuff.

[paul7575]

The Oxford Mail is reporting concerns about BRB^‡(resolve)(residuary) planning to sell the Oxpens site (next to the ice rink), which will supposedly prevent Oxford having a completely new station built:

http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/9175980.Fears_over_future_of____transport_hub___/

It all seems to be a bit of an artificial argument, because according to the council's planning policy stuff provided with the sale particulars, there are no plans for a replacement station on the site anyway.   Network Rail's plans (in the RUS^▸ (Route Utilisation Strategy))  seem to be pretty much all about various expansion options on the current site, or at least in the carpark, and of course Evergreen 3 works well as planned with its independent route into the rebuilt northern platforms at the existing station.

Sale particulars are here: http://www.brbrlandsales.co.uk/sites/oxford/

Paul

[Chris from Nailsea]

From road.cc:

An Oxford-based bicycle business has set up shop at the city^s railway station to enable commuters to have their bikes serviced or repaired while they are away at work. Bainton Bikes, operating from a gazebo at the First Great Western-operated station, is also renting bikes from the facility to visitors to the university city.

Kevin Moreland of Bainton Bikes told the Oxford Mail: ^We were talking to First Great Western about putting hire bikes at the station and they said they wanted a repair service as well.^

Having visited Cambridge to see a business there called Station Cycles, Mr Moreland believed that a similar, train station-based initiative could work in Oxford. ^We know people in Oxford want longer opening hours,^ he explained. ^The feedback we have had is that they just don^t get the chance to get to a bike shop.^

To begin with the facility is open each Monday from 6.30m to 7.30pm, although it is planned that within the coming months it will start operating on a daily basis.

^It has also allowed us to offer hire and cycle tours to visitors and we are planning to open seven days a week from March or April, depending on how things go,^ said Mr Moreland, who also runs Walton Street Cycles in the city^s Jericho area.

Andy Saunders, integrated transport manager at First Great Western, said: ^Oxford is one of our most popular stations for commuting cyclists and I^m delighted to partner Walton Street Cycles and Bainton Bikes to offer this innovative service.^

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Oxford Mail:

Full steam ahead for rail police

Oxford^s British Transport Police officers are celebrating a very busy first year since moving on site at the city^s railway station.

In the 12 months since the team took up residence at Oxford Station, charges against abusive rail travellers, thieves, and drunk and disorderly louts have more than trebled, with 51 people arrested and charged last year, compared with 13 the year before.

Three suspects arrested by BTP^▸ (British Transport Police) officers in Oxford over the past year are currently on bail.

Penalty notices for disorder ^ fines of between ^50 and ^80 ^ have also risen with the arrival of the police team. Over the past year they have issued nine, compared to just one in 2010.

Sergeant Adrian Naylor, the officer in charge of Oxford BTP, said: ^Arrests made by the team of four officers have almost quadrupled, which shows that we are able to quickly respond to incidents and deal with suspects efficiently.^

He added: ^Higher figures come as a result of enhanced policing activity by officers, who regularly hold operations and conduct patrols at stations and on trains.^

Successful prosecutions have included the jailing of 23-year-old Dua Noah, from Shirley Place, Jericho, Oxford, who admitted failing to attend a drug-assessment appointment, failing to surrender to court bail, stealing ^13 worth of food from Marks & Spencer, stealing ^185 worth of clothes from Crew Clothing, stealing alcohol from Waitrose in Wallingford, and breaching a suspended sentence.

Noah, who was jailed for 18 months, was arrested by a BTP officer and Police Community Support Officer after being seen helping himself to bottles of wine in the station^s branch of Marks & Spencer. He was already wanted by Thames Valley Police.

The team have also been focusing on bike thieves who target the station^s cycle racks.

Pc Bob Burrowes, also based at Oxford, said: ^We have carried out three high-profile cycle initiatives at Oxford, Didcot and Radley, where we gave out microchips to more than 400 cyclists. The chips, which are unique and registered to an Internet site, are placed inside bicycles meaning they can be returned to their owners if they are recovered after being stolen.^

He added: ^We^ve arrested 10 suspected cycle thieves in the Oxford area and, so far, none of those arrested have come back and been arrested again.

^We have ongoing operations to arrest a further four suspected cycle thieves.

^We also work very closely with First Great Western to maintain the cycle racks, and give out information on how people should lock their bikes up.^

He said one of the team^s biggest successes was the lack of arrests on the rail network during last August^s Oxford United away clash with Swindon, despite more than 1,000 fans travelling to the match by train.

The BTP previously operated a base at Oxford, which closed in 1992 as part of restructuring.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the British Transport Police press release:

Were you a witness? British Transport Police appeal after woman attacked at Oxford rail station

British Transport Police (BTP^▸ (British Transport Police)) is appealing for witnesses after a woman was attacked at Oxford rail station in the early hours of Saturday, 11 February.

Officers would like to hear from anyone with information about the incident which took place around 3.30am as the victim was making her way home after a night out.

PC Anthony Wykes, the investigating officer based at Oxford, said: ^The young woman had been out with a friend for the night. They^d walked back together and parted ways at the station. As the victim walked along the path close to the bike racks, talking on her mobile phone to a friend, she noticed a man loitering close to the bikes. Assuming he was unlocking a cycle, she walked past and continued with her conversation.

^Suddenly, and totally unprovoked, she was hit from behind twice to the head and once to the back. She screamed out and knocked her attacker to the floor as she turned around, before running towards a group of men who approached after hearing the commotion. However, when they got to the cycle rack the man had already fled.^

The victim, from Didcot, reported the incident to police later that day.

PC Wykes added: ^This was a swift and unprovoked attack on a woman who, fortunately, was not seriously injured. Luckily there were people around, however the attack could have been much worse and I am determined to find the man responsible.

^If you were in the area at the time, or noticed a man acting suspiciously in the vicinity, I would urge you to contact police.^

The man is described as white with a slim build aged between 30 and 35 years. He short, dark spiky hair and a moustache. He was wearing dark jeans and a brown jacket.

Anyone with information can call British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference B5/LNA of 16/02/2012. Or call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Oxford Mail:

Woman describes terrifying station attack

A supermarket worker last night described fearing for her life after a stranger attacked her at Oxford Railway Station.

Kerry Hastings was left screaming for help after a man punched her twice in the head and once in the back before grabbing hold of her jacket.

As the 20-year-old tried to flee from his grasp her attacker fell to the ground and she ran.

The Sainsbury^s cashier from Didcot was going home on her own after a night out with friends in Oxford city centre when the attack happened.

The man attacked her from behind as she passed him loitering by the bike racks at the station at 3.30am last Saturday.

She said: ^d never even seen him before. I didn^t approach him, he approached me. When I had my back to him he hit me.

^I just thought ^am I going to survive?^Somehow he was grabbing hold of my jacket as I was trying to escape and he fell over. I was just screaming.

^I was just screaming, there were no words.^

She ran towards a group of men who approached after hearing the commotion. But when they got to the cycle rack the man had already fled.

Ms Hastings said: ^If it wasn^t for the three guys running over to me because I was screaming, if no-one was there I thought I wouldn^t be alive.

^ve just recovered from five days of back pain and headaches.

^It was a good night out and this had to happen. I feel like Oxford is my home town.

^I felt safe in the city and now I^m afraid to go out alone.^

She added: ^Knowing no-one^s been arrested makes me worried he could be out there doing it to someone else.

^I do think ^why me?^ and if someone saw something then please contact the police.^

The attacker is described as white with a slim build, aged between 30 and 35.

He had dark spiky hair and a moustache. He was wearing dark jeans and a brown jacket.

Pc Anthony Wykes, from British Transport Police, said: ^This was a swift and unprovoked attack on a woman who, fortunately, was not seriously injured.

^Luckily there were people around. However, the attack could have been much worse.^

* Anyone with information can call British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference B5/LNA of 16/02/2012.

[Oxman]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-17521919

Oxford Station is unstaffed after about 0200 on a Sunday morning, AIU.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Ministers consider moving Oxford train station

The government has said it will look at proposals to move Oxford's railway station to a new location.

Oxford East MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) Andrew Smith raised the issue in the Commons on Tuesday, asking transport minister Norman Baker to look at the plan by Oxford Civic Society. The society wants the station to be moved from Frideswide Square to the Oxpens area of the city.


Mr Baker, who told the house his mother-in-law lived near the station, said he was interested in the plans.

Responding to the Labour MP's question, Mr Baker said: "We are in a position where we are increasingly devolving responsibility for transport matters down to local council level, I think it's right to do that, and people in Oxford are in a better position to know what's best for them than people in Westminster. There are, I think, plans to improve the situation in Oxford anyway in terms of getting more trains running through it and, of course, the electrification programme the government announced will hugely benefit Oxford and points west. We have to make sure what we don't do is spend money now that would be rendered useless by further changes subsequently but I would be interested in those proposals. It's a station I know quite well, not least of which because my mother-in-law lives there... not in the station - nearby, she's not the station mistress."

After the session, Mr Smith told the BBC: "There's a chunk of land by Oxpens which is still owned by the residual old British Rail body and the government wants them to dispose of it. I've written to the secretary of state for transport and said don't sell that just yet because it is part of the jigsaw of land that you would need to assemble if the station could be moved.

"There are very strong arguments, as the Civic Society has said, for moving the station. It would enable you to put a coach station alongside it so you would have a proper interchange. It wouldn't leave the station out on the limb where it is now. It would provide a new gateway to the city, close to the new Westgate shopping centre development, and it would free up a huge amount of land around the present station site and some in Gloucester Green. It would ease all those congestion problems in Frideswide Square, so I think it's worth looking at."

Mr Smith said a study carried out eight years ago found that moving the station would be feasible if funding could be found. He said: "The point is that now there have to be big changes at Oxford station anyway because there's going to be trains running through Bicester down the Chiltern line to London, also because electrification is on the way, they want to use longer trains and have to lengthen the platforms anyway. It seems a once in a century opportunity to get a more sensible location for the station."

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Oxford Mail:

Sheriff rides out to save Port Meadow trees

The Sheriff of Oxford has ridden in to stop Network Rail chopping down trees on the fringe of Port Meadow.

The rail infrastructure company began cutting down trees on the edge of track bordering the historic meadow last week. It was part of its plans to increase capacity on the railway corridor through Oxford by reinstating a fourth track from the city^s station to Wolvercote.

But a city council tree officer ordered the work be halted after neighbours and councillor Jean Fooks, the Sheriff of Oxford, complained.

Network Rail, which had planned to fell trees for about a mile between Godstow Bridge and Aristotle Lane, is now in discussions with the council about whether the scheme can resume.

The trees, which are on railway land, are being cut down to assess the potential for running larger freight trains through Oxford.

Ms Fooks, whose role as Sheriff of Oxford makes her responsible for Port Meadow, said she was worried about the ecologicial impact and the threat to nesting birds.

She added: ^The work began last week. Everybody jumped up and down and the city council^s tree officer Kevin Caldicott rose to the occasion and has managed to stop it for the time being.

^The main concerns are the damage to the general surroundings and the fact that it^s bird-nesting season. This is not the time you cut trees.^

She added: ^As the sheriff I am responsible for Port Meadow and I don^t want it spoiled. People want to know what is actually necessary. Should you be doing it now, if at all?^

City council spokesman Louisa Dean said: ^We have spoken to Network Rail and they have agreed to hold off felling the trees while we have further discussions with them.^

The extra track would allow trains from Oxford towards the Cotswold Line and to Banbury to run in parallel rather than sharing the current track.

Network Rail spokesman Sam Kelly said: ^The work we are doing is part of a wider scheme to enable longer freight trains to run in the Oxford area in the future. Freight is vital to Britain^s economic success and it also plays a big role in reducing congestion and carbon emissions.

^We are aware of local people^s concerns and the work has been temporarily suspended while we have further discussions with the council.^

[mjones]

I expect there are bats and newts there as well. 

[paul7575]

From the Oxford Mail:

The trees, which are on railway land, are being cut down to assess the potential for running larger freight trains through Oxford.

Sorry, but I don't believe that statement somehow.  I'm fairly sure that 'assessing the potential' (for longer freight trains) would be done well before any trees came down...

Paul`

[Btline]

Groan, why didn't they check with the council before getting the chainsaws out? And agreed - trees shouldn't be axed during the nesting season. How would you like it if you went to Tesco's and came back home to find your house bulldozed?

Hopefully this can get sorted asap, so the work can be finished and the extra track laid.

Of course, if railway trees were kept cut back all year round, this wouldn't be a problem!

[Btline]

PS: Sheriff? Oh please - this is Oxford, not the Wild West...