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

[whole diary]

[Reading General]

Yes. The Vastern Road bridge has a large sump underneath for floodwater to collect in heavy rainfall as it's below the water table (also below the river level) the water is then pumped away. The service entrance to the pumps can be seen in the middle of the roundabout to the south of the bridge. Last year at some point the pumps failed and the road way was completely impassable in both directions, so it is definitely needed. The Botley Road already appears to be below the river level as it runs under the railway now and the Osney area between the city centre and Botley is clearly marshland as the Thames runs across this land in several courses. I always thought to myself that digging down any further here would be taking it to extremes. Not so much what happens when water courses burst banks but drainage of water on marshy land.

[Richard Fairhurst]

New PIS^▸ (Passenger Information System) going in at Oxford today - the white-on-black screens seen at other GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) stations, with train formation graphics. The departure boards and (newer) displays on the Chiltern platforms appears to be unchanged.

[ray951]

Does anyone know when the entrance/exit from P1 and p2 are going to open? It seems to have been taking a very long time.

[ray951]

Does anyone know when the entrance/exit from P1 and p2 are going to open? It seems to have been taking a very long time.

I can answer my own question as the new entrance/exit from P1, P2 and P3 was open this morning (16th December).
Hopefully this will cause less overcrowding on P3, although extra platforms (and electric trains) are still required.

[didcotdean]

Plus extra toilets 😁

[Adelante_CCT]

Does anyone know when the entrance/exit from P1 and p2 are going to open? It seems to have been taking a very long time.

I can answer my own question as the new entrance/exit from P1, P2 and P3 was open this morning (16th October).

Should that read December? Or has this post taken two months to get through the system? 

[ray951]

Plus extra toilets 😁

Just facilities full stop. There are no waiting rooms, refreshments, toilets, etc. on P1, P2 or P3, you have to go back through the ticket gates to find any useful facilities.

If Oxford could have just a fraction of the money spent on Crossrail stations it would be fantastic, maybe they should rename it London Oxford:-)

[ray951]

Does anyone know when the entrance/exit from P1 and p2 are going to open? It seems to have been taking a very long time.

I can answer my own question as the new entrance/exit from P1, P2 and P3 was open this morning (16th October).

Should that read December? Or has this post taken two months to get through the system? 

Of course December, but even if the post had taken 2 months that is much quicker than the years it has taken to finally open these ticket gates. 

[IndustryInsider]

Does anyone know when the entrance/exit from P1 and p2 are going to open? It seems to have been taking a very long time.

I missed your original post, ray951 - but, yes, a target date of this year was planned and achieved today.  The gateline (which I believe came from surplus stock from Gatwick) took a while to arrive, but once it did it was a very quick process to get it installed and opened.  Will make a massive difference to queuing and congestion along platform 3 and in the concourse, but a proper redevelopment of the station can't come soon enough!

[eightonedee]

Following on from previous posts - is Oxford Station the most inadequate station for a town of its size in the country?

[IndustryInsider]

Following on from previous posts - is Oxford Station the most inadequate station for a town of its size in the country?

It certainly was before the new station building was built in the early 90s.  I remember thinking it was massive when I first walked inside the new concourse, but a huge increase in users makes it now look very inadequate again!

[ray951]

Following on from previous posts - is Oxford Station the most inadequate station for a town of its size in the country?

As someone who travels through Oxford every day the answer has to be yes, although this is of course completely anecdotal.

There aren't enough platforms and the space on those platforms is extremely limited and as mentioned above there are very few facilities on the platform side of the station.

Although I will add that there has been a reduction in delays since making P4 reversible, especially to 'Up' services.

[Reading General]

I always wonder why Oxford station has never really been up to the job. Didcot is the size and type of station that Oxford needs but it has an equivalent of Prince’s Risborough instead. The space available for expansion is tight, so I’ve always wondered whether relocation to the south of Botley Road is the answer to Oxford’s capacity problems.

[ellendune]

I always wonder why Oxford station has never really been up to the job. Didcot is the size and type of station that Oxford needs but it has an equivalent of Prince’s Risborough instead. The space available for expansion is tight, so I’ve always wondered whether relocation to the south of Botley Road is the answer to Oxford’s capacity problems.

I thought the masterplan produced a couple of years ago produced the right size of station without relocating it. Is there that much more space south of Botley Road or does it just look larger because it has not got a station on it? 

Edit:

The space at the North end of the station could be better used if it was possible to replace the deck of the Castle Stream bridge with an orthogonal deck so the tracks could be as close together as they are at the south of the station. 

[didcotdean]

The antipathy of Oxford City authorities, and for a longer period the University in the 19th century to railways has had a long-lasting effect. All of the main stations through the years have been too small and cramped, and took years to get settled sites. The first terminus at Grandpont was a wooden structure, but maybe there was always a thought it would be replaced. The current station site at first just had two short platforms, ticket office, parcel office and waiting rooms for first and second class passengers only. The original overall Brunel roof didn't survive into the 20th century with the decaying buildings finally demolished in 1972 replaced by little more than a collection of prefabricated sheds.

Modern dithering has been over the potential move to Oxpens (on and off at least twice I think) and the awkward issues on the present area relating to the height of the Botley Road and relocation of the youth hostel that has said it will “resist moving as long as possible”. Since it is apparently the top-rated YHA facility in the country I suppose that isn't a surprise.