How will my rail journey be disrupted during Oxford works?

Network Rail will be carrying out railway upgrade work in the Oxford area next week which will impact those travelling between Banbury, Oxford and Didcot Parkway.

With new Great Western Railway (GWR) Intercity Express Trains set to deliver over a fifth more seats per train and more frequent, Network Rail will undertake track reconfiguration to the south of Oxford station.

To take place from Saturday 22 July to Sunday 30 July, the track work will allow easier train movements through the area, improving reliability and resilience of the infrastructure.

Travelling between North Cotswolds and London?

• A peak time High Speed Train service between Hereford/Malvern/Worcester and London Paddington, via South Cotswolds
• Tickets are accepted on London Midland and Virgin Trains services to and from London Euston via Birmingham New Street

Travelling between North Cotswolds and Oxford?

• Hourly standard class only train between Worcester and Oxford
• Buses will replace trains for Ascott-under-Wychwood, Shipton, Finstock and Combe customers

Travelling between Banbury and Oxford?

Buses will replace train (except for Saturday 29 July) between Banbury and Oxford

Travelling between Oxford and London?

• Tickets, except ‘GWR only’, will be accepted on Chiltern Railways services between Oxford and London Marylebone.

Travelling between Oxford, Didcot Parkway and intermediate stations towards London?

• Buses will replace trains (except for Saturday 29 July) between Banbury and Didcot

GWR Operations Director Rob Mullen thanked passengers in advance for their patience during the work and said:

“The work next week is a key part of Network Rail’s upgrade plans for the Oxford area, which with the introduction of our new fleet of Intercity Express Trains later this year will provide the greatest step-change in experience for our passengers in a generation.”

Rob Mashford, senior programme manager for Network Rail, said: 

“We appreciate that there is never a good time to close the railway but we have worked closely with GWR, CrossCountry and Chiltern Railways to ensure minimal impact on passengers throughout this vital work.”

Oxford station will remain open throughout. A full list of service amendments is available at: GWR.com/Oxford2017.

For more information on GWR’s new trains please click here.

Notes to editors

Great Western Railway (GWR) provides high speed, commuter, regional and branch line train services. We help over 100 million passengers reach their destinations every year - across South Wales, the West Country, the Cotswolds, and large parts of Southern England.

We’re currently seeing the biggest investment in the network since Brunel so we can offer more trains, more seats, and shorter, more frequent journeys and continue the network’s heritage of helping connect more businesses to new and prosperous markets. Through a series of initiatives we aim to be a good neighbour to the communities we serve and are committed to making a positive social impact in those regions. Learn how we're Building a Greater West at GWR.com. GWR is a FirstGroup company.