PEOPLE in Oxford will be spared nightmare train journeys to London this Christmas thanks to its new rail link, rail bosses say.

Services launched from the city centre this month to London Marylebone will let passengers avoid major works expected to cause travel chaos in the capital.

Network Rail has planned the engineering between Ealing Broadway and Paddington from Christmas Eve to December 29, closing lines between them.

It means Great Western Railway cannot run its normal direct services from Oxford Station to Paddington.

But passengers are instead being advised to use the new link opened by Chiltern Railways instead.

Mark Langman, western director of Network Rail, said yesterday: “Passengers in Oxford now have a choice for how they get to London.

“That is really exciting, but also means they can avoid these engineering works.”

Christmas is seen as the best time for major works – which usually require costly railway closures – because it is when the network is least busy.

The number of passengers can fall by half during the festive period, Network Rail said.

This year the firm is preparing for its busiest period of Christmas works ever, with almost £100m of engineering schemes scheduled across just six days.

Richard Griffiths, of Network Rail, said: “We strongly advise passengers to plan their journeys as early as possible.”

In previous years, Great Western Railway services have taken lengthy diversions via Banbury to link Oxford and London when normal routes are blocked.

But the launch of Chiltern Railways’ connection to London Marylebone means passengers now have a direct alternative.

Chiltern will also be one of the few rail firms operating trains on Boxing Day, with a special services between Oxford Parkway and London Marylebone and free parking at its stations.

During the closure of Paddington station, passengers can alight at Ealing Broadway and connect with the London Underground for onwards journeys.

They can also change at Reading and use South West Trains services to and from London Waterloo station.

GWR tickets will be accepted on SWT and Chiltern services from December 24 to December 29 inclusive, the operator confirmed.

For information visit: gwr.com