Oxford railway station

{{Infobox station

| name = Oxford

| symbol_location = gb

| symbol = rail

| image = Oxford railway station - geograph.org.uk - 1321849.jpg

| caption = Oxford station from the south with platforms 4 (left) and 3 (right)

| borough = Oxford, City of Oxford

| country = England

| coordinates = {{coord|51.7534|-1.2703|type:railwaystation_region:GB_scale:10000|display=inline,title}}

| grid_name = Grid reference

| grid_position = {{gbmapscaled|SP504063|25|SP504063}}

| manager = Great Western Railway

| platforms = 4

| tracks = 6

| code = OXF

| classification = DfT category B

| original = Great Western Railway

| pregroup = Great Western Railway

| postgroup = Great Western Railway

| years = 1852

| events = Opened

| years1 = 1971

| events1 = Rebuilt

| years2 = 1990

| events2 = Rebuilt

| mpassengers =

{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2019/20 |passengers={{increase}} 8.702 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{increase}} 0.821 million}}

{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2020/21 |passengers={{decrease}} 1.575 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{decrease}} 0.114 million}}

{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2021/22 |passengers={{increase}} 5.013 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{increase}} 0.389 million}}

{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2022/23 |passengers={{increase}} 6.582 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{increase}} 0.514 million}}

{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2023/24 |passengers={{increase}} 6.787 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{increase}} 0.594 million}}

| footnotes = Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

| mapframe = yes

| mapframe-zoom = 13

}}

Oxford railway station is a mainline railway station, one of two{{efn|The other is {{rws|Oxford Parkway}}, near Kidlington}} serving the city of Oxford, England. It is about {{convert|0.5|mi|m}} west of the city centre, north-west of Frideswide Square and the eastern end of Botley Road. It is the busiest station in Oxfordshire, and the fourth busiest in South East England.{{cite web|url=https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/usage/estimates-of-station-usage|title=Office of Rail & Road}}

It is on the line for trains between {{rws|London Paddington}} and Hereford via {{rws|Worcester Shrub Hill}}. It is a starting point for fast and local trains to London Paddington and {{rws|London Marylebone}}, and for local trains to {{rws|Reading}}, Worcester (Shrub Hill and Foregate stations), and {{rws|Banbury}}. It is also on the north–south Cross Country Route from {{stnlnk|Manchester Piccadilly}} and {{stnlnk|Newcastle}} via {{rws|Birmingham New Street}} and Reading to {{rws|Southampton Central}} and {{rws|Bournemouth}}. The station is managed by Great Western Railway, and also served by CrossCountry and Chiltern Railways trains. Immediately to the north is Sheepwash Channel Railway Bridge over the Sheepwash Channel.

History

File:GWR Collett 3823 (8148087067).jpg at Oxford in 1965]]

The Great Western Railway (GWR) opened to Oxford on 12 June 1844{{cite book |last=Butt |first=R.V.J. |title=The Directory of Railway Stations |year=1995 |publisher=Patrick Stephens Ltd |location=Yeovil |isbn=1-85260-508-1 |id=R508 |page=179 }} with a terminus station in what is now Western Road, Grandpont. In 1845 the Oxford and Rugby Railway (ORR) began to build its line, starting from a junction at New Hinksey {{convert|0.75|mi|1}} south of the GWR terminus. The junction was known as Millstream Junction, and was between the future sites of {{rws|Hinksey Halt}} and {{rws|Abingdon Road Halt}}, both of which were opened in 1908. The GWR took over the ORR while it was still being built, and opened the line as far as {{rws|Banbury}} on 2 September 1850. For just over two years, trains from Oxford to Banbury started at Grandpont, and had to reverse at Millstream Junction in order to continue their journey.{{cite book |last=MacDermot |first=E.T. |title=History of the Great Western Railway, vol. I: 1833–1863 |year=1927 |publisher=Great Western Railway |location=Paddington |page=300 }}

The ORR line included a new through station in Park End Street, so when this opened with the extension of the line from Banbury to Birmingham on 1 October 1852, the original Grandpont terminus was closed to passenger services.{{harvnb|MacDermot|1927|pp=322, 324–327}} The old station at Grandpont became a goods depot, but was closed completely on 26 November 1872, the day that the broad gauge tracks were removed north of Didcot. The site of the station was then sold, as was the trackbed from Millstream Junction, some {{convert|66|chain|m||lk=on}} in length.{{cite journal |editor-first=B.W.C. |editor-last=Cooke |date=November 1957 |title=The Why and the Wherefore: Original Station at Oxford |journal=The Railway Magazine |volume=103 |issue=679 |page=816 |publisher=Tothill Press |location=Westminster }}{{cite book |last=MacDermot |first=E.T. |title=History of the Great Western Railway, vol. II: 1863–1921 |year=1931 |publisher=Great Western Railway |location=Paddington |pages=65–66, 599 }}

Major subsequent changes were removal of the last {{convert|7|ft|0+1/4|in|mm|sigfig=3|abbr=on}} gauge tracks in 1872 and of the train shed in 1890–1. The station was substantially rebuilt by the Western Region of British Railways in 1971, further improvements being carried out during 1974 including the provision of a new travel centre,{{cite journal |editor1-first=J.N. |editor1-last=Slater |date=July 1974 |title=Notes and News: Travel Centre for Oxford Station |journal=Railway Magazine |volume=120 |issue=879 |publisher=IPC Transport Press Ltd |location=London |issn=0033-8923 |page=361}} and the new main building and footbridge were added in 1990 by Network SouthEast.

Planning permission was granted for the expansion to support the proposed Chiltern Railways service to London Marylebone {{cite web|title=Oxford City planning approval|url=http://public.oxford.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=NWM48TMFLMQ00|website=Oxford City Council planning|publisher=Oxford City Council|access-date=24 January 2016}} and the service was subsequently launched on 12 December 2016.{{cite web|title=Press release 20 Jan 2016|url=http://www.chilternrailways.co.uk/press-releases|website=Press Releases Chiltern Railways|publisher=Chiltern Railways|access-date=24 January 2016}} Meanwhile, Oxford City Council, Oxfordshire County Council and Network Rail have developed a masterplan for further development of the station.{{cite web|title=Masterplan|url=https://www.oxford.gov.uk/info/20182/regeneration_and_development/949/oxford_station_masterplan|website=Oxford Station masterplan|publisher=Oxford City Council|access-date=24 January 2016}} Construction of an additional platform has been proposed.{{Cite news|title=Plans for NEW platform, toilets and shops at Oxford Train Station|url=https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/19704206.councillors-vote-another-platform-oxford-train-station/|access-date=2021-11-10|newspaper=Oxford Mail|language=en}}

Flood remediation work south of the station at Hinksey saw services at the station curtailed & replaced by buses to/from Didcot Parkway in July and August 2016. This allowed the trackbed to be raised by 2 feet (0.65 m) and new culverts installed to reduce the impact of flooding from the nearby River Thames upon the railway (which has caused service interruptions on several occasions in recent years). Concurrent bridge repair work at Hanborough and signalling alterations at Banbury was also carried out over this period. The £18 million scheme was completed on 15 August 2016.{{cite web| url=https://www.networkrail.co.uk/news/2016/jul/Network-Rail-carry-out-flood-alleviation-work-improve-railway-reliability-passengers/ | title=Network Rail to carry out flood alleviation work to improve railway reliability for passengers | publisher=Network Rail | work=Press release | date=26 July 2016 | access-date=1 August 2016 }}

The station has always been busy. In addition to current services, formerly there were others over the Wycombe Railway, Oxford, Witney and Fairford Railway, and Blenheim and Woodstock Branch Line.{{efn|The recently published Lost Railways of Oxfordshire{{cite book|last1=Moors|first1=Terry|title=Lost Railways of Oxfordshire|date=2009|publisher=Countryside Books|location=Newbury, Berkshire|isbn=978-1-84674-110-4|edition=First}} gives information on all three of these services and The Woodstock Branch{{cite book|last1=Lingard|first1=Richard|title=The Woodstock Branch|date=1973|publisher=Oxford Publishing Co|location=Oxford|isbn=978-0-902888-23-4|edition=First}} gives an overview of how the service to Oxford changed over the line's life.}} Through trains from the north to the Southern Railway also typically changed locomotives at Oxford.

It was for a time known as Oxford General station to distinguish it from the London and North Western Railway's {{rws|Oxford Rewley Road}} terminus of the Varsity Line to {{rws|Cambridge}}, which was adjacent and came under joint management in 1933.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} On 1 October 1951 British Railways closed Rewley Road station to passengers and transferred its services to this station.

South of the station immediately west of the railway tracks is Osney Cemetery, established in 1848 just before the current station site. Nearby is the site of the former Osney Abbey.

Plans

=Further expansion=

In November 2009 it was announced that Oxford station would be expanded. A £10 million joint development between Network Rail and Oxfordshire County Council would create a new platform on part of the station's long-stay car park. The new platform (south of platform 1) would allow trains to arrive and depart from the same track and reduce the need for empty trains to be shunted around the station. Currently, in busy periods trains can be kept waiting outside of the station for a platform to become available.

A new covered footbridge would also be built over Botley Road to link the station building with the new platform, replacing the existing footbridge to the car park. The new platform was to have been brought into use during 2011, and was to be part of the city and county councils' West End Area Action Plan for the western part of the city centre, which also considers other rail projects such as Evergreen 3 and the Paddington–Oxford electrification.{{cite news|title=Grand plans for Oxford's train station|first=Reg|last=Little|newspaper=The Oxford Times|publisher=Newsquest (Oxfordshire) Ltd|location=Oxford|date=26 November 2009|pages=1, 3}}

Chiltern Railways has raised the possibility of developing a service between Oxford and the Cowley branch line.{{cite web|title=Chiltern railways to Cowley|url=http://www.rail.co.uk/rail-news/2014/new-stations-planned-for-oxford/|website=Two new railway stations planned for Oxford|publisher=rail.co.uk|access-date=29 January 2016}}

=Project Evergreen 3=

File:Oxford - Chiltern 168108.JPG

In August 2008 Chiltern Railways announced Project Evergreen 3, a proposal to construct a {{convert|0.25|mi|m}} chord between the Oxford to Bicester Line and the Chiltern Main Line, to allow a new Oxford to London Marylebone service to run via Bicester Village and {{rws|High Wycombe}}. Work began in 2014;{{cite web|title=Closure of Oxford to Bicester|url=http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/62816.aspx|website=Future engineering work|publisher=Network Rail|access-date=29 January 2016}} the project, which included reinstatement of double track between Bicester and Oxford, was completed in 2015 as far as the new station at {{rws|Oxford Parkway}} and the service from here to Bicester and Marylebone commenced on 26 October 2015. Services to Oxford were planned to start in Spring 2016, although locals objected to the extra noise that would be caused.{{cite web|url=http://www.railmagazine.com/news/network/2016/01/27/oxford-marylebone-service-delayed-until-december|title=Oxford-Marylebone service delayed until December}}{{cite web|url=http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Rail-News/chilterns-oxford-city-centre-london-services-pushed-to-december|title=Chiltern's Oxford city centre-London services pushed to December}} Network Rail completed the final stages of infrastructure work in the Wolvercote Tunnel and Peartree areas in September 2016, and Chiltern Railways began services from Oxford to Oxford Parkway on 11 December 2016.{{cite web|url=http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/P20419/2016/12/11/advanced|website=Realtime Trains|title=1Y03 0743 Oxford to London Marylebone|publisher=swlines Ltd|access-date=2016-12-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220153159/http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/P20419/2016/12/11/advanced|archive-date=2016-12-20|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.chilternrailways.co.uk/sites/default/files/files/timetables/Timetable_December_11_2016.pdf|title=Chiltern Railways Timetable from December 11|access-date=11 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203125114/https://www.chilternrailways.co.uk/sites/default/files/files/timetables/Timetable_December_11_2016.pdf|archive-date=3 December 2016|url-status=dead}}[http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/oxford-to-marylebone-track-now-complete "Oxford to Marylebone track now complete"]Network Rail Media Centre press release 21 September 2016; Retrieved 22 September 2016.

=East West Rail=

The Chiltern route out of Oxford is shared with the western section of East West Rail, which reuses part of the historic Varsity Line route between Oxford and {{rws|Cambridge}}. The initial services are planned to commence in 2025, calling at {{rws|Winslow}} and {{rws|Bletchley}}, then {{rws|Milton Keynes Central}} or {{rws|Bedford}}. Extension to Cambridge is planned,[https://eastwestrail.co.uk/haveyoursay Bedford and Cambridge Route Option Consultation: Have Your Say]{{snd}} East West Rail Ltd., 28 January 2018 but not scheduled. In March 2025, the Department of Transport announced that the service would be operated by Chiltern Railways.{{Cite web |title=East West Rail services planned to begin this year as Chiltern Railways named operator |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/east-west-rail-services-planned-to-begin-this-year-as-chiltern-railways-named-operator |access-date=2025-05-05 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}} Chiltern expects the service to become operational in late 2025.{{Cite press release |title=Chiltern Railways selected as operator for the first stage of East West Rail - Oxford to Milton Keynes |publisher=Chiltern Railways |url=https://www.chilternrailways.co.uk/oxford-to-miltonkeynes |access-date=2025-03-25 |website=www.chilternrailways.co.uk}}

Services

File:Cross Country 220xxx, Oxford (15577760052).jpg

Great Western Railway run two fast trains per hour to {{rws|London Paddington}} via {{rws|Reading}} and two stopping services to {{rws|Didcot Parkway}}. The stopping trains mainly originate here (a small number come from {{rws|Banbury}}), however some fast trains continue to and from Worcester and Hereford. In September 2024, GWR commenced a Saturdays-only direct service to Bristol via {{rws|Swindon}} and {{rws|Bath Spa}}.[https://news.gwr.com/news/great-western-railway-restores-direct-bristol-to-oxford-services] Great Western Railway, 13 September 2024

Chiltern Railways run two trains per hour to {{rws|London Marylebone}} via {{rws|High Wycombe}}, which are slower than the fast Great Western Railway services to London Paddington. Chiltern Railways also provide a limited peak-hour service to {{rws|Stratford-upon-Avon}}.

CrossCountry run trains once per hour to {{rws|Bournemouth}} from {{rws|Manchester Piccadilly}}, as well as occasional trains from {{rws|Newcastle}} to {{rws|Reading}}. All come via {{rws|Birmingham New Street}}.

File:Oxford & Yarnton Dudley, Great Bridge & Wednesbury RJD 24.jpg map of railways in the Oxford area]]

{{rail line|previous={{stnlnk|Oxford Parkway}}|route=Chiltern Railways
{{smalldiv|Oxford to Bicester Line}}|col={{Chiltern colour}} }}

{{rail line|next={{stnlnk|Tackley}}|route=Chiltern Railways
{{smalldiv|

{{unbulletedlist|list_style=text-align:center|Cherwell Valley Line|Limited Service}}}}|col={{Chiltern colour}} }}

{{rail line two routes|previous={{stnlnk|Reading}}|next={{stnlnk|Banbury}}|route1=CrossCountry
{{smalldiv|Manchester to Reading}}|route2=CrossCountry
{{smalldiv|Newcastle to Reading}}|col={{XC colour}} }}

{{rail line|previous={{stnlnk|Didcot Parkway}}
or
{{stnlnk|Reading}}|next={{stnlnk|Hanborough}}
or
Terminus|route=Great Western Railway
{{smalldiv|Cotswold Line}}|col={{FGW colour}} }}

{{s-rail-national|previous=Radley|next=Tackley|toc=Great Western Railway|route={{smalldiv|Cherwell Valley Line}}}}

{{rail line|previous={{stnlnk|Swindon}}|next=Terminus|route=Great Western Railway
{{smalldiv|Oxford-Bristol}}|col={{FGW colour}} }}

{{rail line|previous={{stnlnk|Oxford Parkway}}|route=Chiltern Railways
East West Rail {{smalldiv|Oxford-Milton Keynes}}|col={{Chiltern colour}} }}

{{s-rail-national|status=Historical|previous=Wolvercot Platform|next=Hinksey Halt|toc=GWR|route={{smalldiv|Great Western Main Line}}|note={{smalldiv|Line open, station closed}}|note2={{smalldiv|Line open, station closed}}}}

Notes

References

Bibliography

{{cite book |last=Vaughan |first=Adrian |title=The Heart of the Great Western |location=Great Addington |publisher=Silver Link Publishing |year=1994 |isbn=1-85794-026-1}}
{{cite book |last=Waters |first=Laurence |title=Rail Centres: Oxford |publisher=Ian Allan |year=1986 |isbn=0-7110-1590-2}}