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

[whole diary]

[Richard Fairhurst]

There was no shortage of people warning Railtrack at the time (2001) that allowing the youth hostel to be built there would eventually bite them on the... station approach.

(The YHA's behaviour was fairly galling at the time, too - they paid to hang a vintage punt from the roof in the hostel at the same time as they were closing swathes of the rural hostel network.)

[Hal]

Oxford City Council said on Monday that it has hired engineering firm Atkins to develop a new "masterplan" for the station. It said the plan would turn Oxford into "a national rail hub", by adding two new lines and platforms.

It said:
"This includes:

- East West Rail (EWR^▸ (East West Railway (Oxford to Bedford), or possibly East Worthing station, depending on context)), creating a rail link connecting Oxford, Bicester, Milton Keynes, Bedford, Cambridge, and communities in between
- The Cowley Branch Line, connecting local communities and key employment areas in the east of the city into the city centre and the wider railway network
- Further ambitions for EWR and other national routes, including opportunities for new direct services to Bristol and Swindon and improved connections with Birmingham, Worcester and the South Coast, faster connections to Heathrow
- More frequent services between Oxford and Banbury, Bicester, Culham, Didcot Parkway and Hanborough"

No sign of a timetable, but a first round of public consultation expected before the end of this year.

[IndustryInsider]

Good to see this 'beast' lumbering on slowly I suppose.

[infoman]

maybe a three mile spur from Culham station to Abingdon for its 40,000 residents?

[IndustryInsider]

maybe a three mile spur from Culham station to Abingdon for its 40,000 residents?

A spur using the old alignment from Radley would probably be better, but even then you wouldn't be able to get particularly close to the Town centre.  A Waitrose and car park now occupies the former station site, so realistically the closest you could get would be the a station on the current industrial estate on Barton Lane, which is a bit too far out of town, and not much better located than the current station at Radley which is only 1.5 miles away.

A better option IMHO^▸ ('in my humble opinion') would be to develop Radley further, by stopping the other Oxford<>Didcot service there to give an all-day 30-minute interval service.

[didcotdean]

The Oxfordshire Growth Board is currently considering the following enhancements in the Oxfordshire Rail Corridor Study over and above today's normal provision, although how this aligns with that the various railway bodies are doing / can do isn't clear to me. I guess too that some in the 2028 list may supersede 2024.

2024
Didcot-Milton Keynes: 2 tph, call at Culham
Bedford-Oxford: 1tph
Birmingham MS-Oxford: 0.5 tph

2028
Cowley-Marylebone: 2tph
Paddington-Hanborough: 1tph
Didcot-Hanborough: 1tph shuttle, call at Culham
Paddington-Great Malvern: 1tph
Cambridge-Bristol: 1tph
Cambridge-Southampton: 1tph
Birmingham-Bristol (via Coventry/Oxford) 1tph, call at Grove
Birmingham-Oxford (via Solihull): 1tph
Banbury-Oxford: 0.5 tph shuttle, call at Begbroke

[IndustryInsider]

I guess we have to acknowledge that ongoing virus issues could completely wipe out any business cases for any schemes that have only reached 'under consideration' status nationwide.  Only those that actually have shovels in the ground or committed funding are looking secure.

[eightonedee]

There's a dog here not barking - Reading!

The Oxfordshire Growth Board is currently considering the following enhancements in the Oxfordshire Rail Corridor Study over and above today's normal provision, although how this aligns with that the various railway bodies are doing / can do isn't clear to me. I guess too that some in the 2028 list may supersede 2024.

2024
Didcot-Milton Keynes: 2 tph, call at Culham
Bedford-Oxford: 1tph
Birmingham MS-Oxford: 0.5 tph

2028
Cowley-Marylebone: 2tph
Paddington-Hanborough: 1tph
Didcot-Hanborough: 1tph shuttle, call at Culham
Paddington-Great Malvern: 1tph
Cambridge-Bristol: 1tph
Cambridge-Southampton: 1tph
Birmingham-Bristol (via Coventry/Oxford) 1tph, call at Grove
Birmingham-Oxford (via Solihull): 1tph
Banbury-Oxford: 0.5 tph shuttle, call at Begbroke

So - why stop the 2024 MK^▸ (Milton Keynes) at Didcot when it could go through to Reading, providing connections to Gatwick/Guildford/Elizabeth Line/Kennet Valley/SW Peninsular services, and if it's a "slow", could restore a more frequent full stopping service between Reading and Oxford?

After 2028 - where is the current Cross Country service (2 an hour Oxford-Birmingham via either Solihull or Coventry)? It looks like part only in that list.

And how about a regular Oxford or beyond to Gatwick (assuming of course that we all start flying again?).

However, an hourly Cambridge - Southampton, presumably via Reading is something to look forward to!

[didcotdean]

Should have clarified why there is an emphasis on Culham calls in the above; this is because of plans to build houses around the station area; there is no mention at all of changes at Radley at least in what has been published.

There has also been approval and maybe more importance the money secured for a new road & parallel cycleway that would link Culham to Didcot via Appleford more directly than the present country lanes. I fear therefore for Appleford Station calls.

[didcotdean]

So - why stop the 2024 MK^▸ (Milton Keynes) at Didcot when it could go through to Reading, providing connections to Gatwick/Guildford/Elizabeth Line/Kennet Valley/SW Peninsular services, and if it's a "slow", could restore a more frequent full stopping service between Reading and Oxford?

I think the limited scope is to replace the current Didcot / Oxford shuttle.

After 2028 - where is the current Cross Country service (2 an hour Oxford-Birmingham via either Solihull or Coventry)? It looks like part only in that list.

They plug into the Midlands Engine Rail plans here which I think in essence would double current Oxford-Birmingham services per hour, ie one extra each on top of the current XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) services on each route. The Solihull routed trains would both go to Moor Street. Although the published detail is very sketchy.

[grahame]

However, an hourly Cambridge - Southampton, presumably via Reading is something to look forward to!

Presume nothing. England's Economic Heartland (See ((here))) Sub National Transport Body includes Swindon through Cambridge.

What is England's Economic Heartland?

England's Economic Heartland is a strategic collaborative partnership between 11 local transport authorities and four local enterprise partnerships. It provides strategic leadership in the long term planning of the region's strategic infrastructure and services, in order to realise the region's economic potential in a way which improves accessibility and inclusivity, quality of life and the environment. England's Economic Heartland is co-funded by its partners and the Department for Transport.

There are already 2 trains per hour from Oxford to Southampton and with lengthening from 2.5 carriages of standard class to 7.5, that should do for a while - 3 times the capacity and every half hour is enough.  Better provided trains that go right through the sNTB area and don't leave Swindon orphaned from the rest, and better to not dogleg the services at Oxford.  Yes, I know the Cambridge - Bristol and Birmingham - Bristol proposals also go this way, but a 30 minute Cambridge - Sandy - Bedford - Bletchley - Bicester - Oxford - Swindon - Chippenham service, alternate extensions to Corsham - Bath Spa - Bristol and all stations via Salisbury to Southampton would make sense.  Grove to be served by the Birmingham - Bristol service that would reverse at Didcot and be a stopper, and by a call on the Cheltenham Spa IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) service.

[Hal]

Oxford Mail today has details of the latest proposed station upgrade.

https://www.thisisoxfordshire.co.uk/news/18652746.oxford-train-station-glimpse-future-upgrades-look-like/

It includes demolishing the Youth Hostel to construct a new station entrance on the west side. The YHA would be rebuilt nearby.

Botley Road would be widened and a new railway bridge built.

[Visoflex]

Whatever happened to the subway?  I presume it was taken out of use when the overbridge was built.  Was it filled in, turned into cable access, or something else?

[IndustryInsider]

Cable access.  Mind you many years later there was quite a lot of activity down there so perhaps it was filled in, at least partially.

[grahame]

From Southoxford.org

Oxford's first railway station, in Grandpont, 1844

The Grandpont terminus of the new line was built on what is now the corner of Marlborough and Western Roads. The station (below) was a mainly wooden structure with two tracks and small wagon turntables at the terminus ends. A further three tracks ran alongside serving a large goods shed behind the station. A single track continued 400 yards to the river bank where there was a small loading jetty and a crane. Water for the engines was obtained straight from the Thames and stored within the station area in large barrels, which were manhandled onto the locomotives to fill the tanks.