Oxford Station - improvements, incidents and events (merged topic)

[whole diary]

[ellendune]

The biggest issues would seem to be at the north end, crossing the Sheepwash Channel.   It looks from Google as though the four tracks spread out in width to match the individual bridge positions, (compared to the Botley Rd end of the station it's about twice the width) with the road in question taking the westernmost span.  In hindsight, that doesn't seem to have been such a good idea...

Paul

Yes but I thought that leaving room for Roger Dudman Way to cross the Sheepwash channel would be a problem, now you point it out a new single bridge deck would allow the tracks to be moved nearer (and also the platform ends leaving room for the extra tracks and the island platforms, while still leaving room for the bay for evergreen 3. 

[IndustryInsider]

I've chanced across some quite detailed diagrams of current Network Rail plans for Oxford, which are in slightly more advanced stages than I've seen before.

Lines marked in black are unchanged.
Lines marked in red are new sections of track.
Lines marked in green are sections of track to be removed.

The first one is an overview of the Oxford area.  It shows that current thinking is for Bi-Di signalling on both the up and down main lines along with the up passenger loop and an extended down passenger loop as far as just before Wolvercote Junction.  Linespeeds on the loops are to be improved massively with the up loop going from 25mph to 75/90mph!

It also shows a re-laid Oxford North Junction for East-West Rail with the current single lead 25mph junction being replaced with a double 50mph junction.





The second one shows the station area itself in more detail.  Things to note include the new platform at the back of the current platform 2, with both of those platforms gaining signals so that trains can depart back to London from them.  Both bridges at the end of the platforms would be replaced/widened with the line leading to the new through platform meaning the removal of the two 'West Midland' sidings immediately south of the station.

The sidings on both sides are altered to mostly provide for 260m long trains (10-Car IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) length) and this is achieved by moving the access route into the down sidings closer to the station for two of the three roads which would then not be able to access the current up platform, though with two other London platforms available that would not be a problem.  The up sidings would be extended by removing the headshunt at the Banbury end and making four long sidings using space created at that end.

It appears, from the diagram, that the London end bay platform idea isn't included, although passive provision for a fourth through platform linking through to the current platform 3 would be - though that would mean knocking down the concourse!

The other major alteration is for the Evergreen 3 service, which it appears would only use one additional platform (and could also use the current bay platform), and would have no dedicated line to Oxford North Junction but would instead share the main or loop lines that other services would use.

I must stress that these are only provisional plans, and there may be other plans that are totally different, but just as likely to see the light of day.  But it's interesting to get a glimpse of what the current thinking is, and if these improvements were to be made there would be a huge leap in flexibility at Oxford.

[Gordon the Blue Engine]

Thank you II for that, track diagrams are always very interesting (well I think so). I know one can always think of bells and whistles to add, but it would add flexibility if the down passenger loop were extended to run past Wolvercote Junction into the Cotswold line, so that (for example) up Cotswold line trains could acccess P4 and P5 independently of the UM and DM.  As far as I can recall there are no physical barriers eg overbridges in the way. 

[IndustryInsider]

I agree with the extending of the down loop, but there would need to be an additional bridge span over Duke's Lock just before the junction, and a couple of lineside buildings would need moving.  Quite possibly that will be worth the investment if and when Wolvercote Junction to Charlbury section is re-doubled as the whole junction would need changing then?

[bobm]

track diagrams are always very interesting (well I think so)

Totally agree - I still regularly refer to my ageing copy of the Thames Valley Trackplans produced internally by Network Rail even though it is getting woefully out of date in the Reading area!

[Oxman]

Network Rail press release announces appointment of "master planners" to develop options for the station and its environs.

http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/News-Releases/7439/Masterplanners-appointed-for-the-proposed-redevelopment-of-Oxford-station

Interestingly, a joint project with the County and City Councils.

"Aedas will look at the wider station area including the forecourt and transport interchange, Becket Street car park, Roger Dudman Way and the Botley Road bridge area. They will also consider how proposed options would link in with the county council's Frideswide Square development."

[ellendune]

The ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about) final determination for PR13 Page 918 includes funding for:

"Oxford station area capacity and enlargement"

[DidcotPunter]

The ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about) final determination for PR13 Page 918 includes funding for:

"Oxford station area capacity and enlargement"

Some more detail on thisisoxfordshire

http://www.thisisoxfordshire.co.uk/news/10784375.It_s_full_steam_ahead_for___70m_revamp_of_Oxford_rail_station/

 THE ^70m transformation of Oxford railway station will now go ahead after Government officials finally approved the plan.

The scheme, which has been in the pipeline for years in an effort to free up the bottlenecked route, has now been given permission by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR).

It will see the Botley Road bridge replaced and an extra platform built to accommodate more services using the new link to London Marylebone and Milton Keynes via Bicester.

The ^500m East West Rail project, which will connect Reading to Bedford via Oxford, has also been approved by the ORR as part of the same list of projects the regulator said Network Rail must deliver in the next five years.

[IanL]

I hope they do something about the narrow platforms where they pass the lifts and stairs to the bridge, too often I see an entire High Speed Train (HST^▸ (High Speed Train)) of passengers trying to pass this narrow section on the way to the exit, when the dispatch team are also yelling to stay behind the yellow line so they can see to get the train to clear the platform it just makes matters worse.


Edit: VickiS - Clarifying Acronym

[ellendune]

Some further news last month in the Oxford Mail

It^s all change again at Oxford railway station

PLANS for the multi-million pound redevelopment of Oxford^s railway station are set to be unveiled early this year.

This will bring to an end months of discussion over the future of the site off Frideswide Square which some hope will see it become an integrated ^transport hub^.

Since early last year, Oxford City Council, Oxfordshire County Council and Network Rail have been working together to draw up a masterplan for the station and the surrounding area.

The new station will include extra platforms to accommodate extra services using the planned new links to London Marylebone and Milton Keynes via Bicester, in conjunction with the electrification and resignalling of the Oxford to London route via Didcot.

These projects are due to be operating by 2017.

A number of potential uses are being considered as part of the ^70m redevelopment ^ including a new bus station ^ but there are plenty of different ideas about what should actually become reality.

In April First Great Western said it would be supportive of anything which came out of the masterplan which made sure there were integrated transport links, while Network Rail appeared cooler on the issue.

Network Rail spokesman Dayle Sellars said the aspiration to create a ^transport hub^ would be wrapped up in the masterplan due to released soon.

County councillor Rodney Rose, deputy leader of transport authority Oxfordshire County Council, said: ^My priority for the site is that people can get on and off trains, that they have somewhere to park their cars and bicycles and somewhere to catch the bus. Beyond that I am not so worried.

^We do need a proper hotel there but we need to be careful that we don^t build the site up so much that you cannot get bus, taxi or car infrastructure in there.^

Figures from the Office for Rail Regulation show that 6,227,018 used the station in 2011-2012 compared with 3,064,362 in 1997-1998 ^ a rise of 103 per cent.

Proposals to create an integrated transport hub in Oxford date back to the late 1940s, when the Great Western and London Midland & Scottish railways proposed a rebuilt station with a bus station alongside on land now occupied by Oxford University^s Said Business School, which was then the site of the LMS^▸ (London Midland Scottish - 1923 to 1948)^s Rewley Road station.

[ellendune]

More news in Network Rail's delivery plan http://www.networkrail.co.uk/cp5-delivery-plan/cp5-enhancements-delivery-plan.pdf

Oxford Corridor Capacity Improvements

Scope of works
 Improvements to line speeds.
 Improved operational flexibility.
 Bi-directional signalling between Didcot North and Aynho Junction.
 Revised Oxford station platform arrangements.
 Enhancement to the Botley Road bridge.
 Track and signalling enhancement to improve capacity.

Phase 1: enables Chiltern Rail services to commence from London Marylebone to Oxford
from March 2016 as part of the East West Rail scheme, through existing bay platform
enhancement. This will include some reconfiguration to the track layout and sidings to
provide additional operational capacity, capability and flexibility through the station. This
further compliments the concurrent electrification of the railway south of Oxford by Great
Western electrification.

Phase 2: provides additional through platform capacity and line speed improvements to
enable an enhanced timetable to operate electric trains and provides additional East West
Rail services from Milton Keynes or Bedford. This also supports Oxford City Council^s
aspirations to improve the highway through the Botley Road Bridge.

It says Phase 1 complete by December 2016 and Phase 2 by December 2018

[ChrisB]

Attended a presentation by two Network Rail guys last night put on by the local branch of IMechE....we got Richard McCulloch -Principal Sponsor for the Intercity Express Programme (IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.)) & Electrification project plus Ben Stevens, sponsor for the Oxford Resignalling project....

Some notes....

Intercity Express Programme (IEP) trains testing on ECML^▸ (East Coast Main Line) Feb15, GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line) (RDG^‡(resolve)-DID^» (Didcot Parkway - next trains)) Aug/Sep15
Class 800 will be bi-mode units, Class 801 all-electric units - according to Richard, the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) *still* haven't firmed up the mix!
Pantographs can be raised / lowered while at speed

Electrification - RDG-DID in time for the testing above
Remaining track to OXF^» (Oxford - next trains)/BSK^▸ (Brake Standard Corridor (carriage)) (EMUs^▸ (Electric Multiple Unit) to run)/Newbury & BPW^» (Bristol Parkway - next trains) Dec16
BPW/Bath & BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI)) May17
Cardiff Dec17
Swansea May18
164 structures in total (bridges/tunnels/station awnings) need clearance work

Oxford resignalling Stage 1 complete by Dec16, then transferred to Didcot signalling centre by Mar17
Stage 2 (E/West Rail Oxford North junction doubled too) complete Dec18
This includes extra through Down platform (so an island platform)
Platform renumbering (from the East, so Up through platform =3, down throughs = 4&5
Current platform 3 to 6car length, new platform 4 (Chiltern) only 5car (will be plat 1&2 after renumbering)
New Botley Road Bridge with 4.8m height clearance from road, with 3 lane road plus a cycle lane and footway both sides of road!

I'll copy the Intercity Express Programme (IEP)/electrification info to the appropriate thread
Passive provision for South Bay platform on the Up side
New station Masterplan going out to competition amongst architects


Edit: VickiS - Clarifying Acronym

[IndustryInsider]

Thanks for posting those details, Chris.  My diagrams further up the page remain pretty accurate.

[ChrisB]

Yes, I didn't note any changes

[Class 50]

 Please note the presentation below at , Railfuture (Thames Valley AGM^▸ (Annual General Meeting) ) , all very welcome, it should give a very good update of what is being planned at Oxford.
It's about 10 mins walk from Station .
7pm on Wednesday
7th May 2014 at The King's Centre, Osney Mead, Oxford, OX2 0ES
 
Speaker
 
Mike Hogg of First Group.
 
^Oxford^s railway ^ getting ready for its new role^.