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

[whole diary]

[Fish]

Unfortunately, this was overrunning by 12 hours and was eventually cancelled in the interests of allowing the diverted services avoiding Reading to be able to run as planned today.

[IndustryInsider]

Well, there's no bridge there now, so something must have happened?

[willc]

And here's the proof

http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/headlines/8758864.Smashing_Christmas_Day_for_railworkers_as_bridge_demolished/

[IndustryInsider]

If it's anything like the two bridges that were replaced between Didcot and Cholsey this time last year, the old brick bridge supports are retained and get some treatment to prepare them for a new concrete decking which will be put in place in a couple of months.  The bridge then reopens a few weeks after that when the final cosmetics have been taken care of.

[paul7575]

The general idea is seen here in Winchester, the 'old brick/new concrete' divide is plainly seen:

http://rail-news.com/2010/07/08/winchester-rail-bridge-works-near-completion/

Also done at St Denys, and just east of Winchester somewhere, the basic technique seems to be to remove the brick arch completely down to the level where the retained abutment is parallel sided, (known as the 'springing point') then everything above is replaced with big lumps prefabricated off site.

Paul

[Fish]

Well, there's no bridge there now, so something must have happened?

Sorry Industry Insider, there must have been another bridge in the Oxford area which had works cancelled.  Either that or the same bridge had more extensive work planned?

[willc]

Was the only bridge being worked on near Oxford - a bridge at Goring is also being dealt with this week - but if they lost 12 hours then it seems logical they had probably planned to do more work at Abingdon Road over the weekend. However, getting the old bridge down and reopening the line ready for Monday morning were clearly the most important factors. I don't imagine catching up will be too hard, with three more months allowed to get the job finished.

[IndustryInsider]

However, getting the old bridge down and reopening the line ready for Monday morning were clearly the most important factors. I don't imagine catching up will be too hard, with three more months allowed to get the job finished.

Just to clear up the confusion over this bridge.  The two arches over the three current tracks were removed as planned, but a separate flat span over what used to be the up relief/goods/loop line (I presume?) was left and has now been demolished.

[willc]

BTP^▸ (British Transport Police) press release:

PASSENGERS TO BENEFIT AS BTP OFFICERS MOVE INTO OXFORD STATION
 

Passengers using Oxford rail station will benefit from an increased police presence after the introduction of a dedicated new British Transport Police (BTP) team at the station.

Six BTP officers will form the new team, dedicated to policing the rail network from Charlbury, through Oxford and down to Reading.

Members of the public can meet the team at the official launch on Friday, 28 January, which will be attended by Chief Superintendent Mark Smith, Area Commander for BTP^s London North Area, First Great Western Director of Communications Sue Evans and Nicola Blackwood, MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) for Oxford West & Abingdon.

Ch Supt Smith said: "I^m pleased that the Oxford team is now established as it means my officers can spend even more time on their patch tackling crime and getting to know their local community, who will know where to find them.

^The new office will act as a base for my team to continue protecting and serving passengers and staff, as well as working closely with the rail industry to make the network as safe as possible.

^m keen for passengers who use Oxford and the surrounding stations to contact the team to discuss any issues or concerns they have, although it will be best to call ahead and arrange a time as officers may be out of the office on patrol.^

The re-opening of the office will create a visible presence in an area that is seeing an increase in passenger numbers and a rise in new services, and was supported by First Great Western (FGW^▸ (First Great Western)) as an extension of the localised policing service.

FGW Director of Communications, Sue Evans, said: ^With an annual footfall of 5.2 million, Oxford is one of our busiest stations and we worked hard to get a dedicated BTP team for the area.

"We^re delighted to be able to accommodate the BTP officers at Oxford Station, and will continue to work together to provide a secure environment for our customers.^

The Oxford team is led by Sergeant Adrian Naylor and also includes two PCs and three PCSOs. The team can be contacted by calling 07917 177 736.


BTP's team will be holding a passenger surgery at Oxford station from 11am on Friday, 28 January.

[SDS]

6 Officers hmm, allowing for time off, sickness, sleep, etc. That will leave around 1 or 2 on duty. Yeah thats going to make a whole load of difference isn't it!
Prob find out that 4 of them are the waste of space PCSO types.

[IndustryInsider]

6 Officers hmm, allowing for time off, sickness, sleep, etc. That will leave around 1 or 2 on duty. Yeah thats going to make a whole load of difference isn't it!
Prob find out that 4 of them are the waste of space PCSO types.

If you read the press release it tells you that 3 are PCSO's.

[readytostart]

6 Officers hmm, allowing for time off, sickness, sleep, etc. That will leave around 1 or 2 on duty. Yeah thats going to make a whole load of difference isn't it!
Prob find out that 4 of them are the waste of space PCSO types.

This is the second time that you've posted something wholly disrepectful to the officers of the BTP^▸ (British Transport Police) on here, how the public are supposed to have faith in them when some staff are so dismissive is beyond me.

Sure it may take BTP while to respond, this is because compared to local forces they have a far greater geographical area to cover, surely moving officers back to Oxford is addressing this. (I'm guessing the nearest BTP stations would be Reading, Swindon or Worcester).
Using PCSOs in unison with Constables allows a cost saving compared to using Police officers alone (the BTP paid for by the industry - and therefore farepayers rather than the government). They have the power to inforce fixed penalties, enforce byelaws and to detain (and are one of only two forces in the country to issue PCSOs with handcuffs to do so).
Despite the opinion that the BTP are never about and that local forces need to be called in, the ACPO estimate that the BTP are called upon approximately 8000 times a year to intervene in incidents outside of their natural jurisdiction.
I personally feel a lot safer knowing that my request for assistance is not being prioritised against catching speeders, domestics and pub fights.

[johoare]

I agree... I have nothing but praise for BTP^▸ (British Transport Police) (I know I posted it at the time) but when I left my purse on a train they called me at home within minutes of it arriving at Reading (without me  )..

[Brucey]

I (fortunately) haven't had any experiences where I've needed the BTP^▸ (British Transport Police).  However I'd much rather have smaller offices dotted around the network (like Oxford) where the officers are more familiar the area and the local troublemakers rather than have larger offices where more travelling is required to attend incidents.

[Ollie]

1 or 2 officers on duty at Oxford would be better than none..