OXFORD Bus Company has announced it will extend its 500 service to serve Woodstock and Blenheim Palace with two buses per hour from Sunday December 11.

This will form part of a revised timetable which retains a 15-minute frequency between Oxford Parkway and Oxford Rail station, with half hourly extensions to Woodstock.

The new section of the service will operate via Kidlington, Langford Lane (near to Oxford Airport) and the A44.

This is the latest development in the long-standing partnership between the company and Chiltern Railways, which has seen the two organisations working closely together to deliver the new rail station at Oxford Parkway and ensure public transport connections to the station are joined up.

During 2014 and 2015, Oxford Bus Company provided a rail replacement service between Bicester and Oxford while the railway line was undergoing reconstruction. Over the past 12 months, Chiltern has provided funding to enhance Park and Ride service 500 so that every train is met by a bus, seven days per week.

Oxford Bus Company managing director Phil Southall said: "our partnership with Chiltern has been very strong, and we have seen a large increase in passenger numbers on our 500 service since we introduced the improved timetable.

"Therefore, we want to ensure that we continue to provide a high quality bus service to Oxford Parkway once the railway line through to Oxford station opens in December. "However, it is inevitable that there will be a reduction in demand between Oxford Parkway and the city once the through rail link opens and therefore a different service pattern will be needed.

"We’ve worked closely with Chiltern who told us that they had a strong ambition to improve connectivity between Oxford Parkway and Blenheim Palace, to give better access for visitors to our county. We’re delighted that they’re supporting us in this new venture and look forward to working with them to make it a success."