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

[whole diary]

[Electric train]

I'm not defending this decision on a customer service basis though, as it is a useful exit, and I would have thought that ramping up the number of times ticket inspections are made, to say a couple of times a week, would be a better option for everybody.  When the gates were originally installed there were inspections more often than not, but in the last year or so I can't remember a single occasion when revenue/gateline staff have been checking tickets there.

Given they are close to the end of the franchise I guess First don't want to invest in something they may not get a return on; it does smack of FGW^▸ (First Great Western) taking the easiest and cheapest option by not providing RP staff at that exit when its open.

[ray951]

I don^t think it^s a good idea to close this gate as the entrance/exit on platform 1 is not very well designed and is already very busy and when this gate is closed then more bicycles/people will  need to use it and cause more and longer queues. For those not familiar with Oxford there is a set of sliding doors directly in front of the ticket gates and this causes 2 issues:
1)   There is always a long queue of people either waiting to buy tickets or with bicycles/cases/pushchairs waiting to use the wide gate that causes the entrance doors to be blocked meaning that people have to use the exit doors OR
2)   As the doors are close to the gates, the gates in the middle don^t get used as people wait to use the gates nearest the doors and again cause the doors to be blocked. This is an obvious flow issue and could be resolved by removing the doors , widening the doors or moving the gates further away from the doors.

I can understand why they would want to close the gate but why can^t they just have someone stood on this gate checking tickets and/or more people selling tickets on platform 1 , if 20% of people don^t currently have tickets then it would soon pay for itself and more.
Mind you I don^t actually believe that train companies are serious about fare evasion given the amount of times that the ticket gates are unmanned (evenings and weekends) and the number of times I have had my ticket checked on a train. They seem a bit like HMRC and only interested in  tackling the easy cases to make it look like they are doing something.

[paul7575]

From the Oxford Times:

Another rail user, who did not want to be named, added: ^I only use it if I have an off peak ticket and the trip, usually with delays, has meant I end up arriving in peak times.^

Just noticed the above line, but that's bit of a serious misunderstanding of the implications of a delay isn't it?  By printing that without checking anything, the paper have probably just confused dozens of people...

Paul

[IanL]

Noticed tonight that the poster on Oxford platform 2  advising of the forthcoming closure of the gate is no longer there, nor the laminated paper sign on the gate itself. Is this still going ahead?

The gate was wide open with no checking of tickets tonight.

[ray951]

Noticed tonight that the poster on Oxford platform 2  advising of the forthcoming closure of the gate is no longer there, nor the laminated paper sign on the gate itself. Is this still going ahead?

The gate was wide open with no checking of tickets tonight.

I agree the large signs were gone this morning but they still had some A4 size notices on the actual gate itself stating that it was going to be closed from 1st January.

[81F]

Received a message from local councillor earlier this evening {Thurs 20th] as follows:

> The official statement -- after discussions late into the night
last night:

>*We've decided in the light of customer and stakeholder feedback, and
the emergence of a number of potential alternative approaches, to defer
closure of the Oxford Platform 2 gate until further notice.
>In the meantime, we will be reviewing the usage of the gate and its
interaction with the wider station environment.  This will help inform
the decisions that we're making about access to this entrance in future.
We will also be discussing the future access to the gate with the
Department of Transport in the context of potential wider plans for the station.*

[JayMac]

Well that is excellent news for the majority of honest passengers who use this access to/from the station.

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) should now concentrate their efforts on the 1 in 5 who don't have a ticket. But only when they have had an opportunity to buy and have chosen not to.

[Chris from Nailsea]

I drew the attention of certain people at First Great Western to this particular topic in an e-mail on 8 December: they haven't replied to me directly, but I do suspect that the feedback they will have gathered here, as well as elsewhere, has helped to produce this result.

[Andrew1939 from West Oxon]

The Oxford Mail carries the following story:

Rail bosses halt plan to close station gate

7:00pm Saturday 22nd December 2012 in News By Katriona Ormiston

Councillor Susanna Pressel at the back gate of Oxford Rail Station Councillor Susanna Pressel at the back gate of Oxford Rail Station
RAIL bosses have reversed their decision to shut the back gate at Oxford Station after an outcry from passengers.
The Oxford Mail revealed this month that First Great Western chiefs were planning to close the entrance to stop fare dodgers.
The platform two gate, which leads out to Roger Dudman Way towards the Botley side of Oxford, is open at peak times. But plans to shut it on January 1 only became known when signs went up at the station earlier this month.
First Great Western staff estimated up to one in five passengers using the gate hadn^t paid their fare because it does not have a ticket barrier.
Commuters protested that the closure would cause even worse crowding in peak hours and bikes would have to be carried over the footbridge.
A campaign was sparked with dozens of people complaining to the station and Oxford city councillor for Jericho and Osney Ward, Susanna Pressel.
But on Wednesday, station manager Dave Martin met Cllr Pressel and regular commuter Dom Utton.
She said: ^I was all ready to be very angry. But he said straight away that they have changed their minds
^Our statement of protest and demand for a meeting put the wind up them so much that they said they are going to try to get money for two new barriers, one wider for bikes.
^d like to thank the Oxford Mail for publicising this dreadful idea and helping to get a campaign going which demonstrates the people power of the community.
^I think they were frightened of me. I can be quite frightening when I am really cross. I am not going to beat around the bush for something the people I represent want.^
Mr Utton, who commutes to London up to four days a week from Osney Island, said he wrote to First Great Western to complain about the plans.
The 40-year-old journalist, who attended Wednesday^s meeting, said: ^I think a lot of people wrote in. They hadn^t consulted anyone.
^My issue was, who are they running the station for?
^As soon as we kicked off about it, they saw sense. I go out the back way which is a lot easier. It wasn^t just commuters though. It is a drag for cyclists to haul their bike over the bridge and difficult for the elderly. The lift is just rubbish. I went along to the meeting with a whole list of questions but didn^t need them. Fair play to them though for listening.^
Spokesman for First Great Western, James Davis, refused to say how many complaints had been received, but he said: ^We^ve decided, in the light of customer and stakeholder feedback, and the emergence of a number of potential alternative approaches, to defer closure of the Oxford platform two gate until further notice.
^In the meantime, we will be reviewing the usage of the gate and its interaction with the wider station environment. This will help inform the decisions we^re making about access to this entrance in future.
^We will also be discussing the future access to the gate with the Department for Transport in the context of potential wider plans for the station.^

Comments (5)

Mr Utton sounds like he is a bit of a bully!

I don't understand this story, if one in five people get a freebie by nicking out through the back gate, and IF only a hundred people use it a day. then that is 20 people without tickets, say at an average ^15 a pop is ^300, so if they paid somebody only ^10 an hour to man it for the 6 hours it is open that is still ^240 profit a day. I'd happily stand there for that money.

This was a victory for commonsense and the Rail Passengers, and not Labour or Cllr Pressel. It's about time Oxford Cuty Councillors stopped trying to make 'political brownie points' and started tring to represent all the voters and council tax payers - the majority of whom will never vote Labour or Labour/Coop in the City, let alone County ...... but many of whom certainly do travel by train - and THAT is why First Great Western has kept the gate open for business!

Majority never vote Labour??? Remind me, who is the largest party in Oxford City Council?? Doh

surely the perfect solution is to open the gate at peak periods, with an attendant there. no one should be allowed to travel free, as that pushes fares up for everyone. maybe some of those complaining about the closure are some of those who travel for free!!!!

[ellendune]

Vision for Oxford railway station overhaul unveiled

A CrossCountry train calls at one of Oxford station's two existing through platforms
THE main building at Oxford railway station could be knocked down to make way for new platforms under plans being considered by transport bosses.

The major redevelopment would see four through platforms ^ with no dead ends ^ built to solve what officials see as a major regional bottleneck.

County councillor Rodney Rose, responsible for Oxfordshire^s transport infrastructure, said the project was the only long-term solution to create enough capacity on Oxfordshire^s Rail network.


The proposal is put forward in a new county council rail strategy covering the next 22 years, which lists a station revamp by 2018 as the ^top priority^.

Under the proposal, the existing station would be demolished with trains pulling up either side of two island platforms, boosting the flow of trains.

The council^s draft Rail Strategy and Delivery Plan, to be discussed by Cabinet today, calls for a new project board to oversee the station^s re-design and link it with scheduled work to electrify the track and update signalling.

The strategy says: ^Oxford station has been identified by Network Rail as being a significant constraint on the network and is our top priority for improvement.

^Once the ^850m redevelopment of Reading station is complete, this will become the biggest single capacity bottleneck in the Thames Valley and a major barrier to rail and economic growth.^

It goes on: ^It is predicted that the number of peak services using the station is close to the maximum that can be accommodated, before any additional passenger or freight growth.^

In 2010, less ambitious plans to add an extra platform on the long stay car park were axed when County Hall lost millions of pounds of Government funding.

Network Rail is still committed to the project, and has asked for funding between 2014 and 2019.

But Mr Rose said in the longer term, the complete redesign of the station was needed.

He said: ^I still think this is something we should push for.

^Oxford is going to be the major bottleneck, and if East-West Rail goes through it will make it even worse.^

Network Rail spokesman Sam Kelly said a complete rebuild was not part of its current plans, but it would ^gladly discuss it^ with the council.

She added: ^In terms of the station itself, we will be working with First Great Western, Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford City Council to review passenger flow through the station to provide better facilities in the future.

^With regards to the railway itself, our plans over the coming years will provide the capacity need for the future.^

First Great Western would not comment on the plans, but said stakeholders and rail users should ^make their aspirations known^ ahead of its attempt to regain the franchise to run trains to London from April 2013.

Chiltern Railways has its own separate plans to build two new platforms on the old parcels platform and part of the short stay car park to serve its new Evergreen 3 link to London via Bicester.

The council^s new rail strategy includes other ambitious projects.

It says ^the time is right to look at again at the potential of a Grove & Wantage station^ and that a train service could be offered by firms competing to win the Great Western franchise in 2013.

And it commits the council to investigate reinstatement of the rail link between Oxford, Witney and Carterton, to improve connections with the west Oxfordshire towns and RAF^▸ (Royal Air Force) Brize Norton.

The public will be able to have their say on the proposals in a consultation process due to start next month.

RAIL STRATEGY PRIORITIES

• Major projects already set to go ahead include electrification, the creation of the Evergreen 3 link from Oxford to Bicester, the East-West rail link, and ^5.6m redevelopment of Didcot Parkway forecourt
• A new masterplan for Oxford railway station, the re-development of Frideswide Square and integration of the station into the West End redevelopment
• More parking and bus facilities proposed for Bicester Town station, with a link to Bicester North. There is potential for rail freight facility at Graven Hill, using the Bicester Military Railway network.
• Opening a railway station near Grove and Wantage to serve Science Vale UK^▸ (United Kingdom)
• Redesign of Banbury station forecourt
• Improve buses from Witney to Hanborough station, and investigate long-term reinstatement of a rail link from Oxford to Witney and Carterton
• Improve parking and public transport links to stations in the Cotswolds

[ellendune]

Long-awaited plans for Oxford railway station spelled out

OXFORD train station should be redeveloped on its existing site instead of being rebuilt elsewhere, bosses behind a planned revamp say.

Network Rail yesterday submitted a raft of infrastructure plans costing up to ^300m, including a new station by 2019.

Its predecessor Railtrack and Oxfordshire County Council had previously backed moving the station to a new site south of the existing station off Oxpens Road.

But Network Rail route managing director Patrick Hallgate yesterday said: ^Our preferred option is to leave it where it is. We believe there is little benefit from moving it, from a rail perspective.^

Moving the station further south would be ^prohibitively expensive^ as the land slopes downwards, he said.

Network Rail wants to add a third platform to the west of the station by the youth hostel and replace the Botley Road bridge to cater for the extra track. That will also see the road space below widened.

Mr Hallgate said passenger numbers have grown by 40 per cent in the last decade and are expected to rise another 40 per cent in the coming 10 years.

A raft of projects is set to boost Oxford^s capacity including faster, bigger electric trains, a line to Milton Keynes and a new link to London Marylebone via Bicester.

Mr Hallgate said: ^If we don^t create another platform we will struggle to meet that extra demand.^

The firm, along with council chiefs, is about to put out an invitation for station designs, which would not necessarily mean a complete rebuild.

Network Rail ^ which owns the station ^ pledged to continue having 90 per cent of trains arrive within five minutes of schedule during the work.

Mr Hallgate said the current rebuild of Reading station showed this could be done, but there would ^inevitably be trade-offs^.

Rodney Rose, deputy leader of Oxfordshire County Council, responsible for roads, ^totally agreed^ with the plans.

He said: ^I don^t see the funding being available to move it and, for a transport hub, it is better to be more central in Oxford.^

The authority is keeping an open mind on where parking and bus services would go, he said.

Oxford City Council leader Bob Price said: ^Frankly, the cost of moving it further down as people have suggested is astronomical. It is not worth the significant extra expense it would involve.^

But Oxford Civic Society chairman Peter Thompson, who has called for the station to move to land by Oxford Ice Rink, urged a rethink.

He said: ^If Network Rail are spending a huge amount of money anyway, the opportunity should be taken to provide Oxford with a properly integrated transport hub.^

OxRail passenger group spokesman Dennis Tan said of Network Rail^s plans: ^I don^t think it will go down well with a lot of commuters.

^A lot of people were expecting a brand new station. It is very crowded in peak hours.^

Network Rail^s plan has been submitted to the Office of Rail Regulation which will publish its final decision on how much funding it available in October.

PEOPLE will be able to have their say on billions of pounds of potential investment in the county^s railways tonight.
Members of the public can quiz officers from Network Rail on its five-year investment plan that will see ^9bn spent on the Great Western main line by 2019.
Network Rail plans to electrify the line and redevelop Oxford Station as well as creating a new link between the city and London Marylebone.
Yesterday these projects were confirmed as being part of the organisation^s five-year plan.
Some groups, including the Wolvercote Commoners, have expressed concern about the impact the planned schemes would have.
Commoners chairman Michael Buck said: ^We want to make sure that the development doesn^t affect the common.
The meeting is at the Town Hall in St Aldate^s, starting at 6.30pm with a presentation on the proposals.

[mjones]

This interested me: "Network Rail wants to add a third platform to the west of the station by the youth hostel and replace the Botley Road bridge to cater for the extra track. That will also see the road space below widened".

Highlighting the short sighted decision to allow the youth hostel to be built there in the first place...

But if the bridge can be widened at the same time that would be very helpful, providing an opportunity to provide continuous full width cycle lanes where it is currently very squeezed and a significant hazard.

[paul7575]

It always seemed to me that the pretty vocal lobby that wanted to move lock stock and barrel down to Oxpens (by the ice rink) were looking at the problem purely from the perspective of commuting towards London.  The site was pretty much useless once you added in Chiltern's known plans, the possibility of E/W rail, existing XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) and freight to the Midlands, and the Cotswolds services, most of which seems to add up to a conventional through station on a straightforward north/south alignment.

Regarding the bridge being 'widened' though, IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly) NR^» (Network Rail - home page) used the term 'widening' for the work at Caversham and Vastern Rd bridges in Reading.  This then appeared to mislead a few into thinking the widening would apply to the roads, but in hindsight they actually just meant the width available for the railway...

Paul   

[ellendune]

Architects vie to put train station on map This is Oxfordshire

10:30am Friday 11th January 2013 in News By Katriona Ormiston

Buy this photo ^ Chris Aldridge, NetWork Rail's principal strategic planner, talks to a packed public meeting in the Long Room at the Town Hall
ARCHITECTS are set to design the revamp of Oxford railway station.

Plans to appoint an architect to redesign the station have been agreed by Oxford City Council and Network Rail.

Councillor Jean Fooks said a competition was being run by the Royal Institute of British Architects for the best design for the station.

She said: ^It is very exciting there will be an architect to design the station. That doesn^t happen to stations generally so it^s great news.

^The plans for the railway in Oxford look really good, but clearly you have to look at the effects of increasing traffic on people who live nearby.^


The masterplan for Oxford^s rail future was greeted with enthusiasm by residents at a meeting on Wednesday.

More than 100 people packed into a crowded room at Oxford Town Hall to hear the proposals.

Network Rail principal strategic planner for the western region, Chris Aldridge, said plans were to make Oxford a central hub for the UK^▸ (United Kingdom)^s railways.

He said: ^It is a great opportunity to develop Oxford. I think the city has a great rail future and we will be working closely both with Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council to make it happen.

^We will be developing it to work as a hub for trains to run across the UK. So far, Oxford has been a terminating point but this will change that.^

Mr Aldridge said plans were to build another platform at the station and extra tracks.

That will double the number of trains which run through Oxfordshire at the moment.

Adrian James, 50, from Osney, said: ^I live near the station and use it. Oxford is a world-class city so it is brilliant we are now going to get our world-class station.

^Everyone in the world knows Oxford and they arrive at that station, and my god what they must think of it at the moment. People in Botley need to feel better connected, too.^

The ^70m development proposed for the county is part of the countrywide ^300m plan by Network Rail announced on Tuesday. At the moment there are 11 trains per hour running through Oxford.

In 2019 that number is set to double to 22 in total.

But people who live near the railway lines said the plans to double the number of trains filled them with dread.

Keith Dancy, from St Peters Road in Wolvercote, said: ^My pictures fall off the walls when a train goes past, the vibrations are so bad.

^My neighbour even thought she was having a heart attack when the freight trains went past she was shaking so much, so it is not good news for us.^

Mr Aldridge said he did not know what kind of mitigation people who live near the rail lines might receive but Network Rail would look into it.

Extra track lines at Oxford station will also mean freight trains can pass through the central tracks between platforms at the station while passenger trains load and unload.

The Royal Institute of British Architects was unavailable for comment.

Extra track lines at Oxford station will also mean freight trains can pass through the central tracks between platforms at the station while passenger trains load and unload.

One commentator has pointed out that the author had obviously never been to the station as they can do this now.

[paul7575]

"Oxford has been a terminating point..."   

If only there were through trains to Scotland...

Paul