New Oxford - Bristol direct service, ongoing developments and discussion

[whole diary]

[IndustryInsider]

From where will the additional rolling stock and crews be found to run these services without shortforming/cancelling others?

175s in Cornwall cascading some IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)).   Who knows - Hungerford / Kintbury / Bedwyn may get back their hourly London train.   Not sure on crews - perhaps staff will feel patriotic and be prepared to do more overtime if they're working for the nation.

Oxford depot drivers are signing the route, and will share the work with Bristol and Paddington (AIUI^▸ ('as I understand it')).  At Oxford depot there has been slack for a while now, but they were unable to help out much with the routes that have traditionally struggled with crew as they only went as far west as Swindon.

Plus a lot of trainees are going through the system at the moment.

Though I fully expect there to be the same shortages over summer as every year, especially on Sundays as the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) are still sitting on the Sunday in the working week proposals.

And yes, stock will come from the 175 introduction, so the longer the start is delayed, the better in terms of the problems with that.

[Chris from Nailsea]

... the same shortages over summer as every year, especially on Sundays as the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) are still sitting on the Sunday in the working week proposals.

Purely out of idle curiosity on my part: do any of those jobsworths civil servants at the Department for Transport have invitations to attend these famed GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) staff Sunday BBQs?

[TaplowGreen]

... the same shortages over summer as every year, especially on Sundays as the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) are still sitting on the Sunday in the working week proposals.

Purely out of idle curiosity on my part: do any of those jobsworths civil servants at the Department for Transport have invitations to attend these famed GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) staff Sunday BBQs?

Hmmmmm......civil servants with Sunday in the working week........now there's a thought!  (Or indeed any time after around 3pm on a Friday!) 

[johnneyw]

Purely out of idle curiosity on my part: do any of those jobsworths civil servants at the Department for Transport have invitations to attend these famed GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) staff Sunday BBQs?

The GWR Bumper Sunday BBQ Recipe Book".... surely a best seller just waiting to be published?

[Noggin]

Perhaps a French union might be able to provide one of these for Sunday services?

https://www.eurogunzel.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Les-cheminots-ont-manifest%C3%A9-dans-le-centre-de-Nice-en-ce-lundi-sans-train-video-by-France-3-Provence-Alpes-C%C3%B4te-dAzur.jpg

[IndustryInsider]

…so the longer the start is delayed, the better in terms of the problems with that.

I’m hearing the start might not be delayed now!

[anthony215]

Heard its been given the green light by the ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road, formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about)

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Direct trains to run from Swindon to Oxford if line is made safer

[Image from here is not available to guests]
The GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) service would mean passengers would no longer need to change at Didcot Parkway - Image © Aled Thomas

A direct daily rail service between Swindon and Oxford has been given the green light as long as some level crossings on the line are made safer.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road, formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about)) has approved an application from Great Western Railway (GWR) to run a two-hourly service between Bristol, Swindon and Oxford on weekdays and Saturdays from 17 May. An ORR spokesman said the service has been approved provided Network Rail brings in "reasonably practicable level crossing safety measures" on the route.

A GWR spokesman, said it understands customers will be "disappointed" the service has not been "fully" reinstated but it will continue to work with Network Rail to "understand what more can be done".

Currently there are no direct services between Swindon and Oxford, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Passengers have to change at Didcot Parkway or Reading to travel between the two stations. A direct service would shave more than 10 minutes off the current fastest weekday journey time to under 30 minutes.

The ORR said after analysing the "impact on punctuality and reliability" as well as level crossing safety, it had approved the service "subject" to certain conditions. "Network Rail will undertake a performance review of the two-hourly service before deciding on a long-term view on GWR's proposal to run hourly services," it said.

A GWR spokesman said customers will be disappointed the ORR "has not been able to approve proposals to fully reinstate services - at this stage as hoped. We will continue working closely with Network Rail and industry partners to understand what more can be done to introduce additional services as quickly and safely as possible," he said.

The proposals came after a trial saw limited weekend services run between Swindon and Oxford in 2024.

Jim Robbins, leader of Swindon Borough Council, said it was "outstanding news for Swindon".

"Shortening the time needed to get to Oxford will be massive for people who regularly travel and take pressure off the A420," he said. "This will help us attract even more jobs and growth to the town."

Conservative leader Gary Sumner, said it was "positive news" for the town. "I will be very interested to see the take-up of the service," he said. "Anything that adds to connectivity is to be welcomed, but as usual, it's having reasonably priced fares which are the key to the service being sustainable."

[Mark A]

Is it me or does this conflate two separate issues?

Mark

[Oxonhutch]

Is it me or does this conflate two separate issues?

Indeed, I don't recall any level crossings on the Didcot west curve ...

[Mark A]

In terms of road crossings, on the GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line) there's the terrible twosome at Steventon, and on the line to Oxford there's an 'Authorised user only one with a not-particularly-helpful road arrangement at either side - recorded on a Google Streetview from 2011 with a sort of vehicular dance in progress and which can't fill anyone that sees the image with much reassurance.  c. 2016 it received a pair of gantries at either side but I don't know what those were for. (Streetview link below shows the most recent image...)

Mark

https://maps.app.goo.gl/qna9Cq2HHiaDtV9E8

[IndustryInsider]

It’s the UWC^▸ (User Worked Crossing - a level crossing where the barriers or gates are operated by the user) (User Worked Crossings), that are the issue, not road crossings.

[ray951]

In terms of road crossings, on the GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line) there's the terrible twosome at Steventon, and on the line to Oxford there's an 'Authorised user only one with a not-particularly-helpful road arrangement at either side - recorded on a Google Streetview from 2011 with a sort of vehicular dance in progress and which can't fill anyone that sees the image with much reassurance.  c. 2016 it received a pair of gantries at either side but I don't know what those were for. (Streetview link below shows the most recent image...)

Mark

https://maps.app.goo.gl/qna9Cq2HHiaDtV9E8

The gantries are part of the aborted electrification scheme to Oxford, cancelled 10 years and no sign of it ever being finished.

[IndustryInsider]

…so the longer the start is delayed, the better in terms of the problems with that.

I’m hearing the start might not be delayed now!

Indeed, all good for a launch on Monday as originally hoped.  Services now in RealTimeTrains and the journey planners:

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/detailed/gb-nr:SWI/2026-05-18/0000-2359?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt&toc=GW^» (Great Western - used as an abbreviation for the area / lines under the Great Western franchise, as opposed to FGW which includes "First", the company operating them too. For tickets - about)

[eightonedee]

Can they be persuaded to continue the service on to Milton Keynes? I understand that there is an unmet need for such a service and a nice newly rebuilt line available...