Oxford-Bristol rail link wins backing (From The Oxford Times)
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Oxford-Bristol rail link wins backing
11:50am Thursday 5th January 2012 in Wantage By Thom Airs
Calls to resurrect a direct train service between Oxford and Bristol are gaining support as the future of the Great Western franchise is debated.
The suggestion, floated by a West Country MP, has been backed by an Oxfordshire railway users’ group.
A direct service between the two cities, via Swindon, existed for about five years, but was stopped in 2003, according to Chris Wright from the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Rail Action Committee. Mr Wright said: “In a debate in Parliament, Duncan Hames, the MP for Chippenham, suggested that an Oxford to Bristol service should be reintroduced as part of the franchise.
“He also went on to say it could be part of the East West Rail project from Milton Keynes to Oxford on which we have been campaigning for for 25 years.”
He added: “We think reinstating the service to Bristol would make a logical extension to that service. We would be delighted to see it.”
At present, the journey time between Bristol and Oxford is about one hour and 40 minutes, with a change at Didcot.
But Mr Wright said that could be cut by about 15 minutes on a direct train.
He said in addition to the time saved and convenience, the service would open up the possibility of reintroducing passenger services in and out of the Wantage Road Station in Grove, which ceased in the 1960s.
Speaking in a debate about the Great Western rail franchise at Westminster Hall on December 20, Liberal Democrat MP Mr Hames said he would welcome the reintroduction of a direct route between Oxford and Swindon.
He said: “There is a wonderful opportunity, on existing railway infrastructure, to extend the potential of such services with an Oxford to Bristol service under the Great Western franchise.”
He said linking “high-value university economies” such as Oxford and Bristol would also bring major benefits.
First Great Western was awarded a seven-year contract in 2006 to run rail services between London, the Thames Valley, the Cotswolds, the West of England and South Wales.
But it has not taken up an optional three-year extension and its initial seven-year term ends in March 2013.
The Department for Transport is now drawing up a specification for the franchise.
Passengers can submit their ideas by March 31.
For more information visit dft.gov.uk/consultations/ dft-2011-36
Comments(5)
Andrew:Oxford
says...
12:42pm Thu 5 Jan 12
King Joke wrote:Absolutely right. I beleive it also caused a scheduling nightmare if a Bristol Fast was delayed slightly then got stuck behind a 75mph "turbo". not to mention the discomfort of sitting in a non-air conditioned service with 2+3 seating for nearly 2 hours.
THis is a great idea. The service that was tried in the late 90s was a collaboration between two companies who never really put much effort into it. It was unduly slow, owing to the pointless stop and reversal at Didcot, and was only every operated by (r@ppy two-car local trains.
THe franchise should also include extending Paddington-Oxford HSTs to Birmingham every hour, to provide relief to overcrowded Cross Country trains.
Good idea with the XC, it's hellish sometimes - especially in the morning. You'd think someone would notice that Oxford-Birmingham is a popular commute.
jimm
says...
11:16pm Thu 5 Jan 12
The sheer number of connections available through the day via Didcot make its return a non-starter, unless local stations such as Wantage Road/Grove and Corsham reopen - and the promoters of East-West have made quite clear that going to REading is now their preferred option for extending trains beyond Oxford.
As for extending trains to Birmingham, lots of London-Oxford trains already continue past Oxford - up the Cotswold Line to Worcester, Malvern and Hereford (part of the GW franchise area). There simply aren't enough trains out there to start sending them to Birmingham (not part of the GW franchise area) as well.
King Joke
says...
9:02am Fri 6 Jan 12
What's 'not part of the GW franchise' got to do with it? It's a flow which was traditionally served by Western Region services and would be much improved if it were served by them again. THe franchise consultation gives an opportunity to propose new services and this is one which would be of great benefit to passengers. THe 'no stock' argument is just lazy, if Chiltern had that attitude they'd be running Turbostars on their 'Mainline' service.
Back to Oxford-Bristol, demand was low because neither TOC could really be bothered with it resulting in extended journey times and inappropriate stock, as mentioned above. Reopenings and enhancements in Scotland, Wales and London have all exceeded expected traffic and there is no reason why Oxford-Bristol couldn't do so as well, if done properly.
jimm
says...
5:25pm Fri 6 Jan 12
Who cares about tradition, the Oxford-Birmingham route has been firmly part of the XC service group since the mid-1980s. And you can't very well send trains off to Birmingham that are already going to West Oxon and Worcester can you?
Chiltern do run Turbostars on Mainline services. They only have a handful of loco-hauled sets, so lots of Mainline services are run with a Clubman and a Clubman is just a Turbostar with a different coupler.
Reopneing entire lines in London, Scotalnd or Wales is in no way comparable to running a handful of through trains on a route where there are already dozens of connections available throughout the day.
Just because something sounds like a nice idea doesn't make it practical or affordable - or maybe you don't mind never-ending above-inflation fare rises to pay for lots of luxurious empty trains to shutle up and down to Bristol.
King Joke says...
12:34pm Thu 5 Jan 12
THe franchise should also include extending Paddington-Oxford HSTs to Birmingham every hour, to provide relief to overcrowded Cross Country trains.