Great Western Coffee Shop

Not much in the Western Route Study about option 2, so option 1 is most likely.

Until both Oxford - Didcot *and* Didcot-Swindon get 4-tracked, there's little option until East-WEst comes in, and that might well take the West curve owing to lack of capacity around Didcot.

It's especially annoying to see the arrival from Bristol at xx:28 coming in a minute or two early (as it often does), just as the xx:25 to Oxford pulls out though!

I'd be pretty happy with a Swindon<>Oxford service that avoided Didcot and went round the west curve if capacity was an issue.  Would help journey times.

Interesting thing is that if the were to extend the Cheltenham Spa service that sits in the bay at Swindon for 74 minutes in every 2 hours to Oxford (running time about 30 minutes from Swindon) you even have the stock to make an occasional trip.  If the timing's not robust enough, note that these services also have a 33 minute turn around at Cheltenham Spa, and the northbound could be moved a few minutes later / southbound a few minutes earlier now that the two units on the service can pass each other south of Kemble on what was previously a single line.

Edit to correct quotes

This would definitely be interesting. Although would the 15x be fast enough to go between Swindon and Didcot without holding too much up?

Two ways of it becoming better; 1) You see how the toss of the coin comes out after the new IEP timetables start in 2017, or 2) You provide a nice handy hourly through service between Bristol and Oxford (and beyond to Bedford at the end of the decade when the East-West Rail service commences) using 110mph 4-car Class 387 EMUs which could also provide the catalyst for opening several new stations including Wantage Road, Wootton Bassett and Corsham.

A NEW train link could take passengers from the village of Grove, through Oxford to Heathrow Airport.

That is the latest vision of Wantage MP Ed Vaizey, who recently met with a minister to discuss the proposal.

The idea is part of Mr Vaizey's campaign to get the old Grove railway station reopened.

The saga has run for years, but in July he said the station's reopening was becoming a ‘considerably more positive prospect’.

Last week he met Parliamentary Undersecretary of State Andrew Jones to discuss the issue and raised the idea of a Western Rail link to Heathrow.

Land has already been set aside for building a new station on the railway at Grove on both sides of the A338, north of the Williams F1 headquarters.

Mr Vaizey said there was a 'wide-ranging discussion' about the county's provision of rail services.

'Developing a strategic case' for the reopening of Grove Station was mooted as part of a broader project to improve commuter services between Oxford and Bristol, while 'strategic improvements' to Oxford Station and the Oxford-Didcot line were also covered.

Various rail and department for transport officials also attended.

Mr Vaizey said: “I am delighted that the Minister took the time to meet me and local colleagues to discuss these important projects.

"We will continue to work with the Department and local rail partners to develop strategic schemes to improve services.

"On guidance from the Department and Network Rail I will be looking at the East West Rail scheme and the Cotswold Line Promotion Group for inspiration in how to build a business case for improvements to commuter services between Oxford & Bristol and hope that colleagues in Parliament with stations along that route might join me.”

Wantage's nearest rail station is currently Didcot Parkway.

A NEW train link could take passengers from the village of Grove, through Oxford to Heathrow Airport.

East West Rail is the obvious service to extend west of Oxford - assuming 2tph on EWR, that'll be one to Reading / Heathrow? and one to maybe Bristol?

But Grove station was the immediate posts above mine, and until it's 4-tracked, I can't see that there's any capacity. Especially as the suburban electrics will be starting back from Swindon in the not to distant future.

Grove is in the middle of a 4-track section that goes from the proposed station site (former Wantage Road Station) to the site of the former Challow Station.   

It is in a 4-track section, but two of the four tracks are basically used as extended freight loops, where slower trains (two or three at a time on occasions) can recess and await the passage of faster trains ...