88-715: The Cotswold Line is an 86 + 1 ⁄ 2 -mile (139.2 km) railway line between Oxford and Hereford in England. The line between Oxford and Worcester was built under an 1845 act of parliament and opened in 1851 as part of the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway . The Act required the line to be built to Isambard Kingdom Brunel 's 7 feet 1 ⁄ 4 inch (2,140 mm) broad gauge but delays, disputes and increasing costs led to its being completed as 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm ) standard gauge . The first stage of
176-564: A ceremony at Paddington by his daughter, Karen Jankel. This coincided with the 60th anniversary of the late author's famous Paddington Bear series of children's books, and the other end of the unit carries the bear's name. On 1 May 2021, unit 800025 Captain Sir Tom Moore , arrived back at London Paddington , after completing a challenge to stop at 100 stations in only 40 hours, raising money for charity in memory of Captain Tom . The train
264-416: A ceremony held at Paddington Station. The Queen had arrived at Paddington on the unit, travelling from Slough on the 175th anniversary of the first ever train journey by a reigning monarch, made on the same route by Queen Victoria. The name is carried in the form of a decal , rather than the more traditional cast metal plate; the name Queen Victoria is borne on the other end of the unit. On 15 May 2019,
352-525: A collision safety structure compliant with the latest European standards, incorporate an automatic coupling system along with measures to reduce both air resistance and noise. The driving cab of the Class 800 is provisioned with a variety of physical switches and monitors. The design of which is not only compliant with relevant standards at the time of design, but also shaped by feedback received from drivers as part of Human Factors engagement, in order to provide
440-480: A combination of wheel wear and track design. Further cracks in or near the welds of the lifting plates to the vehicle body were the result of stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in a high-strength 7000 series aluminium alloy caused by a combination of residual stresses from being MIG welded to the body and exposure to air containing sea salt on railway lines near the coast. To mitigate the risk of cracking, 1,247 Class 800 series vehicles need to be repaired by replacing
528-463: A five-car set has a GU situated under vehicles 2/3/4 and a nine-car set has a GU situated under vehicles 2/3/5/7/8. In comparison, the electric-orientated Class 801 features a single GU for a five to nine-car set, which provides emergency power for limited traction and auxiliaries if the power supply from the overhead line fails. By adding or removing GUs, a Class 800 can be converted into a Class 801 and vice versa. Active limiters are present that prevent
616-455: A guard on board, one exception being the Oxford and Bedwyn services operated by GWR, where drivers use the in-cab monitors to close the doors without a guard. When a guard is on board, door releases are still controlled by the driver, while the guard is responsible for closing the doors using the control panels in the vestibule areas; the driver will then carry out a secondary check of the side of
704-447: A half-hourly service. Overall, about half the trains continue to/from Great Malvern and five trains a day continue to and from Hereford. There is also an additional commuter service to and from Oxford in the morning and evening, which additionally calls at the halts (their "Parliamentary" service, preventing their closure). The historic problem of some trains having to wait at passing loops, extending journey times, has been eliminated by
792-486: A long term fix for all units is required. On 7 April 2022, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), which regulates the safety and economics of Great Britain's railway, published a safety report on the fatigue cracks in the aluminium vehicle body shells above the bogies close to the yaw damper bracket and anti-roll bar fixing points. The trains had experienced greater loads from train movement than specified, probably caused by
880-572: A long-standing proposal for a new split-level station where the line crosses over the Birmingham and Bristol Railway route. Connecting services are provided by CrossCountry on the Cardiff to Nottingham line and there is parking for 483 cars. The line comprises all or part of the following Network Rail routes: The line is single track between the following places: Other sections are double track. Significant civil engineering structures on
968-457: A masterplan for further development of the station. Construction of an additional platform has been proposed. Flood remediation work south of the station at Hinksey saw services at the station curtailed & replaced by buses to/from Didcot Parkway in July and August 2016. This allowed the trackbed to be raised by 2 feet (0.65 m) and new culverts installed to reduce the impact of flooding from
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#17327654032711056-416: A new platform on part of the station's long-stay car park. The new platform (south of platform 1) would allow trains to arrive and depart from the same track and reduce the need for empty trains to be shunted around the station. Currently, in busy periods trains can be kept waiting outside of the station for a platform to become available. A new covered footbridge would also be built over Botley Road to link
1144-480: A new through station in Park End Street , so when this opened with the extension of the line from Banbury to Birmingham on 1 October 1852, the original Grandpont terminus was closed to passenger services. The old station at Grandpont became a goods depot, but was closed completely on 26 November 1872, the day that the broad gauge tracks were removed north of Didcot . The site of the station was then sold, as
1232-550: A trolley and also the fact that surfboards are no longer allowed on the train due to the limited space available. In comparison with the IET , the LNER Azuma has a small 'micro' buffet retained with other aspects of the interior being similar between the two companies. On the evening of 13 November 2019, an LNER Azuma (800109) was involved in a collision with a Class 43 HST powercar (43300) at Neville Hill Depot , Leeds when
1320-559: A usable and reliable cab design. The train crew are assisted by the Train Control and Management System (TCMS), which runs on an ethernet -based communication system. Amongst other functions, it provides onboard information systems such as the seat reservation system, public address, and passenger information system , as well interfacing with the cab displays, on-train data recorder, and 3G / 4G communications. It has been outfitted to work with various signalling systems, including
1408-705: Is Moreton-in-Marsh. This was once the southern end of the Stratford and Moreton Tramway . The line then passes the corner of the Roman town of Dorn . The Cotswold Line leaves the Evenlode which drains into the Thames and enters the catchment of the River Severn . The first level crossing appears. The building west of the crossing is a brick works and the neighbouring pits were the site of Jurassic clay extraction for
1496-403: Is Worcester Shrub Hill station. Here are connections to commuter lines going to Birmingham New Street . Worcester Foregate Street station gives connections to the city centre and other lines to Birmingham. 6 miles (10 km) later the line reaches Malvern Link station. Great Malvern station follows, and 2 miles (3 km) later is the site of the former Malvern Wells station. After Malvern Wells
1584-437: Is a signal box controlling the level crossing and the points that were formerly the end of the single track section from Wolvercot Junction. 1.2 miles (1.9 km) beyond Ascott is Shipton station which serves the villages of Shipton-under-Wychwood , Milton-under-Wychwood and Fifield . Still following the Evenlode, the line now turns north-west. There is another level crossing near Bruern Abbey . The next junction on
1672-715: Is a good business case for the restoration of the Stratford-Cotswolds link. The large compound to the north with high walls, chapel, and floodlights is Long Lartin prison . There is another level crossing, where Littleton and Badsey station used to be. The line crosses the River Avon into Evesham. Opposite Evesham's Cotswold Line station is the former Midland Railway station, once on the Ashchurch & Barnt Green line . The line becomes single track again about 1 mile (1.6 km) west of Evesham and then crosses
1760-542: Is a mainline railway station , one of two serving the city of Oxford , England . It is about 0.5 miles (800 m) west of the city centre, north-west of Frideswide Square and the eastern end of Botley Road . It is the busiest station in Oxfordshire , and the fourth busiest in South East England . It is on the line for trains between London Paddington and Hereford via Worcester Shrub Hill . It
1848-504: Is a starting point for fast and local trains to London Paddington and London Marylebone , and for local trains to Reading , Worcester ( Shrub Hill and Foregate stations), and Banbury . It is also on the north–south Cross Country Route from Manchester Piccadilly and Newcastle via Birmingham New Street and Reading to Southampton Central and Bournemouth . The station is managed by Great Western Railway , and also served by CrossCountry and Chiltern Railways trains. Immediately to
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#17327654032711936-629: Is installed on vibration-isolating mountings, and fitted with side-mounted cowls to reduce external noise. Heat management measures include thermal insulation around key areas such as cable ducts. According to Modern Railways magazine, the limited space available for the GUs is responsible for them being prone to overheating. It claimed that, on one day in summer 2018, "half the diagrammed units were out of action as engines shut down through overheating". The Class 800 and Class 802 bi-mode are equipped with three GU per five-car set and five GU per nine-car set;
2024-534: Is planned, but not scheduled. Great Western Railway run two fast trains per hour to London Paddington via Reading and two stopping services to Didcot Parkway . The stopping trains mainly originate here (a small number come from Banbury ), however some fast trains continue to and from Worcester and Hereford. In September 2024, GWR commenced a Saturdays-only direct service to Bristol via Swindon and Bath Spa . Chiltern Railways run two trains per hour to London Marylebone via High Wycombe , which are slower than
2112-487: Is potentially linked to the issues identified on a GWR trainset undergoing maintenance on 26 April. Significant disruption was caused by cancellations of trains between London, to Scotland and to the west of the UK. Reports suggested that delays would last for "some time" with the repairs not being easy. From 13 May 2021, some trains started to return to service, however more severely affected trains require repairs before use and
2200-583: The Intercity Express Train ( IET ) by Great Western Railway (GWR) and Azuma by London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is a type of bi-mode multiple unit train built by Hitachi Rail for GWR and LNER. The type uses electric motors powered from overhead electric wires for traction, but also has diesel generators to enable trains to operate on unelectrified track. It is a part of the Hitachi AT300 product family. The Class 800
2288-612: The British Railways Board (1976 to 1983). The patronage of the head of the organisation may have helped to save the line at a time when the Serpell Report was calling for more rail closures. This is section of track has a maximum speed of 100 mph (160 km/h) The line is now heading south-west and the site of Ascot d'Oilly Castle is to the north-west as the train enters Ascott-under-Wychwood . Few trains call at Ascott-under-Wychwood station, but there
2376-724: The Castle Mill Stream and Oxford Canal with the River Thames . Immediately east of the current line is the Rewley Road Swing Bridge over the channel which used to carry the London and North Western Railway 's (LNWR) Buckinghamshire Railway line to its terminus at Oxford Rewley Road . The swing bridge is a listed building . The Rewley Road station building has been dismantled and re-erected at Buckinghamshire Railway Centre . The built up area east of
2464-793: The European Train Control System (ETCS) level 2, which satisfies safety integrity level 4 requirements. For compatibilities with legacy signalling systems, it is also provisioned with apparatus for the Train Protection & Warning System (TPWS), Automatic Warning System (AWS), and Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system. Train information can be shared between ETCS, TCMS, and the GSM-R wireless communication system to simplify data entry. The train communicates in realtime with wayside systems, transmitting from
2552-624: The Great Western Main Line on 16 October 2017, while the first examples on the East Coast Main Line were put into service on 15 May 2019. Early operations have been troubled by fatigue cracking and corrosion on the aluminium vehicle body shells, particularly on the yaw dampers . As part of the UK Government's Intercity Express Programme (IEP), the Class 800 units were built as partial replacements for
2640-857: The InterCity 125 trains which at the time operated services on the Great Western Main Line and the East Coast Main Line, as well as the InterCity 225 trains which currently operate services on the East Coast Main Line. The scheme drew heavily upon the preceding British Rail Class 395 high speed trains produced for Southeastern . A total of 80 train sets have been constructed, comprising 36 five-car and 21 nine-car units intended for operation with Great Western Railway (GWR), along with 10 five-car and 13 nine-car with London North Eastern Railway (LNER). In March 2016, Virgin Trains East Coast announced that its trains would carry
2728-489: The Worcester and Hereford Railway opened between Henwick and Malvern Link on 25 July 1859. The bridge over the River Severn was approved for traffic the following year, and trains started running through from Malvern Link to Worcester Shrub Hill station on 17 May 1860. A short extension from Malvern Link to Malvern Wells opened on 25 May 1860. On 1 July 1860 the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway absorbed both
Cotswold Line - Misplaced Pages Continue
2816-589: The Wycombe Railway , Oxford, Witney and Fairford Railway , and Blenheim and Woodstock Branch Line . Through trains from the north to the Southern Railway also typically changed locomotives at Oxford. It was for a time known as Oxford General station to distinguish it from the London and North Western Railway 's Oxford Rewley Road terminus of the Varsity Line to Cambridge , which
2904-533: The 887 yards (811 m) Campden Tunnel under the Cotswold escarpment . In 1851 unrest among the navvies building the tunnel resulted in a riot – the 'Battle of Campden Tunnel'. The next station is Honeybourne. From 1905 until 1977 this was the junction with the GWR line between Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon . The track to the north remains as a link to the large former military depot at Long Marston . There
2992-548: The Class 800 ran into the rear of the HST. The trains were travelling at 15 miles per hour (24 km/h) and 5 miles per hour (8 km/h) respectively, with three carriages of the Class 800 derailing and the leading vehicle of the Class 800 and trailing locomotive of the HST being severely damaged. On 18 November 2020, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch published its report into the accident with
3080-583: The Diamond Way. Beyond Kingham, the line passes through the site of the former Adlestrop railway station, closed in 1966. At Moreton-in-Marsh the line crosses the course of another major Roman road, the Fosse Way which linked Isca Dumnoniorum ( Exeter ) and Lindum Colonia ( Lincoln ). Moreton-in-Marsh was the headquarters of the railway spot-hire company Cotswold Rail until the company moved to Gloucester. About 28 miles (45 km) after Oxford
3168-609: The River Avon twice more and follows it towards Pershore . West of Pershore, where the line crosses over the Cross Country Route , the new Worcestershire Parkway station has been opened. Just beyond, the line passes through Norton Junction where there was formerly a station. The junction links the line to the Cross Country Route. Here double track restarts. About 57 miles (92 km) after Oxford
3256-696: The Thames with a Bronze Age round barrow . The former LNWR Buckinghamshire Railway branches away to the north east. The section from Oxford to Bicester has been connected to the Chiltern Main Line by a new chord at Bicester, enabling through trains from Oxford to London Marylebone to run from September 2015. Proposals exist for re-opening the whole line and are included in the Draft Milton Keynes & South Midlands Sub-Regional Strategy, but there are many planning and funding matters to be resolved. The line passes through Wolvercote . To
3344-533: The West Midland Railway in 1863. The original tunnel through the ridge of the Malvern Hills , Colwall Tunnel, was completed in July 1860. However, the tunnel was unstable, and it was closed for short periods in 1861 and again in 1907 following rock falls. Eventually the GWR decided to build a new tunnel to the south of the existing one. This opened for traffic on 2 August 1926. The old tunnel
3432-612: The Wolvercote Tunnel and Peartree areas in September 2016, and Chiltern Railways began services from Oxford to Oxford Parkway on 11 December 2016. The Chiltern route out of Oxford is shared with the western section of East West Rail , which reuses part of the historic Varsity Line route between Oxford and Cambridge . The initial services are planned to commence in 2025, calling at Winslow and Bletchley , then Milton Keynes Central or Bedford . Extension to Cambridge
3520-618: The Worcester & Hereford Railway and the Newport, Abergavenny & Hereford Railway to form the West Midland Railway . On 13 September 1861 the final stage of the railway opened between Malvern Wells and Shelwick Junction. This junction is just north of Hereford station on the line between Hereford and Shrewsbury, and it finally created a through route between Worcester and Hereford. The Great Western Railway took over
3608-618: The affected parts including the longitudinal welds and by installing additional bolts, to retain the plate, if the weld should fail completely as a result of stress corrosion cracking. In 2017, Hornby issued its first OO gauge five-car model of the BR Class 800/0 Hitachi IEP Bi-Mode in GWR Green livery. In early May 2021, Kato released its N-scale five-car model of the BR Class 800/0 Hitachi IEP Bi-Mode in GWR Green livery with
Cotswold Line - Misplaced Pages Continue
3696-566: The brand name Azuma , a Japanese word for "East". During June 2016, GWR announced that its trains would be known as Intercity Express Trains . However, due to the early demise of Virgin Trains East Coast, they would not operate the new trains, which entered service with successor London North Eastern Railway . Even so, the Azuma brand has been retained by LNER. In July 2016, it was revealed that GWR's intended fleet of Class 801 units were to be converted from pure EMU to bi-mode due to delays in
3784-428: The company serves. London North Eastern Railway unveiled a special vinyl on one of their units to celebrate the launch of Azuma to Scotland. It was operated on the first Azuma from Scotland, which ran on the 'Flying Scotsman' from Edinburgh on 1 August 2019. This same unit was also used when Azuma was launched to Aberdeen and Inverness respectively. On 10 January 2018, unit 800010 was named Michael Bond in
3872-419: The current electrified network . As per the train specification, the changeover between modes can occur at line speed for minimal service impact. As part of the Great Western Main Line order was originally for Class 801s , all Great Western franchise units have the possibility to be converted to electric-only operation by removal of the diesel engines. Hitachi designed the rolling stock for conformance with
3960-441: The data recorder and receiving timetables and seat allocation data, amongst other material. Location tracking via GPS is used to automatically control selective door operation (where stations are shorter than the trains), guide drivers in efficiently operate the train to best suit the route, and provide information to passengers. The Class 800 is capable of driver-only operation when required, however, virtually all services have
4048-419: The derailment performance. On 26 April 2021 GWR temporarily withdrew eight 5-car Class 800 sets from service after finding cracks in the yaw damper brackets. On 8 May 2021, Great Western Railway, London North Eastern Railway and Hull Trains suspended most of their Class 800 series trains after cracks were found on the welds of the lifting pads on an IET trainset undergoing maintenance. This incident
4136-559: The electrification. Subsequently, these were reclassified as Class 800/3. As a part of this reconfiguration, the original 1.35 m (300 imp gal) fuel tanks were replaced with larger capacity 1.55 m (340 imp gal) tanks. The Class 800 train is a high speed bi-modal multiple unit (BMU). The traction system comprises electric motors that are alternatively capable of drawing power from electrified overhead lines where available, or of using electricity produced by onboard underfloor diesel generators when travelling beyond
4224-424: The fast Great Western Railway services to London Paddington. Chiltern Railways also provide a limited peak-hour service to Stratford-upon-Avon . CrossCountry run trains twice per hour to Reading , of which one train per hour continues to Bournemouth . These trains come from Manchester Piccadilly and Newcastle via Birmingham New Street . British Rail Class 800 The British Rail Class 800 , branded as
4312-533: The first Class 800 came into service on the East Coast Main Line under the brand name 'Azuma'. The type was initially worked on Leeds, Hull, and Newark services. On 1 August 2019, the first Class 800 performed the Edinburgh to King's Cross run on the Flying Scotsman service. Great Western Railway's Class 800 and 802 units are being named after "inspirational people" who have influenced the regions that
4400-640: The former Buckinghamshire Junction Railway link with the Buckinghamshire Railway used to converge from the east. About 4 miles (6.4 km) after Oxford station, Yarnton station was in the short stretch between here and where the Witney Railway diverged to the south-west. So far, the line has been close to the River Thames but the river now swings away to the south through a landscape dotted with gravel pits. The line now climbs
4488-414: The government; the introduction was postponed by six months on account of the train's electro-magnetic emissions, which had reportedly caused problems with signals and other elements of lineside equipment. On 30 June 2016, GWR's test unit (800004) ran from Reading to London Paddington carrying invited dignitaries. On 14 June 2017, GWR unit 800003 was named Queen Elizabeth II by the monarch herself in
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#17327654032714576-413: The investigation finding that driver error was the cause of the accident, with insufficient training of the driver being an underlying cause. The effect of the collision was exacerbated by the design of the Class 800 as crashworthiness requirements did not require the effects of a collision at less than 23.5 mph (37.8 km/h) to be taken into account, nor did it include specific criteria for assessing
4664-497: The latest European standards as of 2014, including the Technical Specifications for Interoperability , and UK railway standards. Furthermore, a high level of flexibility was pursued as to allow the type to be operated on numerous lines with different infrastructure, both in the present and the foreseeable future, such as variable passenger demand and the rollout of electrification. The front end cars, which feature
4752-402: The line enters the 1,584 yards (1,448 m) long Colwall New Tunnel . This is the second Colwall tunnel; the entrance to the original tunnel can be seen to the north. When the tunnel is below the ridge of the Malvern Hills , the line crosses the boundary between Worcestershire and Herefordshire . The line reaches Colwall station , where The Coca-Cola Company plant (now demolished) next to
4840-675: The line include Campden Tunnel (875 yards or 800 metres), the Colwall Tunnels (1,567 yards or 1,433 metres), Ledbury Tunnel (1,323 yards or 1,210 metres) and viaducts at Worcester and Ledbury. After departing Oxford station, the Cotswold Line shares track with the Cherwell Valley Line to Banbury . About 220 yards (200 m) north of the station, the line crosses the Sheepwash Channel which links
4928-415: The line through Combe was difficult with several deep cuttings, four crossings of the Evenlode, and the diversion of a length of the river. To the south, just after the third river crossing are the remains of North Leigh Roman Villa . About 1 mile (1.6 km) beyond the villa the line crosses the course of Akeman Street Roman road . The Oxfordshire Way long-distance footpath follows Akeman Street from
5016-490: The line was at Kingham from where the Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway went west to Cheltenham via Stow-on-the-Wold and east to King's Sutton near Banbury . Kingham village is north of the station. The village west of the station is Bledington . The Oxfordshire Way which has been close to the railway since Akeman Street now turns west to Bourton-on-the-Water but it is replaced by another long-distance footpath,
5104-568: The morning rush hour started at Abergavenny but this was discontinued from December 2008. The busiest stations on this line are the city stations at Oxford, Worcester and Hereford, followed by Great Malvern. The busiest station served exclusively by Great Western Railway's Cotswold Line services is Moreton-in-Marsh, followed by Hanborough. [1] The line features in two notable poems: "Adlestrop" by Edward Thomas and "Pershore Station, or A Liverish Journey First Class" by John Betjeman . Oxford railway station Oxford railway station
5192-400: The nearby River Thames upon the railway (which has caused service interruptions on several occasions in recent years). Concurrent bridge repair work at Hanborough and signalling alterations at Banbury was also carried out over this period. The £18 million scheme was completed on 15 August 2016. The station has always been busy. In addition to current services, formerly there were others over
5280-561: The north east to a point about 0.6 miles (1 km) north of the railway before turning to run through Stonesfield and meet the line at Charlbury station. The next station is Finstock . Between Finstock and Charlbury the deer park to the west of the line is Cornbury Park , original venue for the Cornbury Music Festival , which has now been replaced by the Wilderness Festival. The woodlands south west of
5368-430: The north is Sheepwash Channel Railway Bridge over the Sheepwash Channel . The Great Western Railway (GWR) opened to Oxford on 12 June 1844 with a terminus station in what is now Western Road, Grandpont . In 1845 the Oxford and Rugby Railway (ORR) began to build its line, starting from a junction at New Hinksey 0.75 miles (1.2 km) south of the GWR terminus. The junction was known as Millstream Junction, and
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#17327654032715456-537: The park are the remains of Wychwood Forest named after the Hwicce , one of the Anglo-Saxon peoples of Britain. Charlbury station is the start of the redoubled track and is first stop for faster trains over the line and retains its original Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway clapperboard building. Sir Peter Parker lived nearby at Minster Lovell and was a regular user of Charlbury station while chairman of
5544-526: The passenger area. Following further issues, the units were withdrawn from service on 19 October for the rest of the day, re-entering service during the next day. At one point, the type were due to enter service on the East Coast Main Line from December 2018. The launching operator on the East Coast became London North Eastern Railway (LNER) following Virgin Trains' decision to return the franchise to
5632-521: The possibility of developing a service between Oxford and the Cowley branch line. In August 2008 Chiltern Railways announced Project Evergreen 3 , a proposal to construct a 0.25 miles (400 m) chord between the Oxford to Bicester Line and the Chiltern Main Line , to allow a new Oxford to London Marylebone service to run via Bicester Village and High Wycombe . Work began in 2014;
5720-478: The previous off peak weekday service continues: roughly an hourly service between London and Worcester. Due to constraints of the former single track, there are some two-hour gaps. These services are extensions of the half-hourly Oxford fast trains. Some of the former gaps have been partly filled by three additional trains as far as Moreton-in-Marsh (running through from/to London Paddington ). During peak hours, both Oxford fast trains are extended to Worcester, giving
5808-481: The project, which included reinstatement of double track between Bicester and Oxford, was completed in 2015 as far as the new station at Oxford Parkway and the service from here to Bicester and Marylebone commenced on 26 October 2015. Services to Oxford were planned to start in Spring 2016, although locals objected to the extra noise that would be caused. Network Rail completed the final stages of infrastructure work in
5896-404: The provision of a new travel centre, and the new main building and footbridge were added in 1990 by Network SouthEast . Planning permission was granted for the expansion to support the proposed Chiltern Railways service to London Marylebone and the service was subsequently launched on 12 December 2016. Meanwhile, Oxford City Council, Oxfordshire County Council and Network Rail have developed
5984-464: The railway, visible across the Oxford Canal, is Jericho , a district which originated as lodgings outside the city walls where travellers could rest if they arrived after the gates were locked. The Eagle Ironworks of William Lucy & Co. was near the first road bridge over the track on Walton Well Road . After the bridge, the open area to the left is Port Meadow , a water meadow bordering
6072-439: The redoubling, although some still have to wait at Charlbury or Evesham. Due to short platforms, passengers alighting at stations except Shrub Hill, Worcestershire Parkway, Oxford and Hereford should listen to onboard announcements telling them from which coaches they should alight. Normally this is from the 2–5 coaches at the country end of the train (further from the ticket barrier at London Paddington ). In 2007 some trains in
6160-473: The station building with the new platform, replacing the existing footbridge to the car park. The new platform was to have been brought into use during 2011, and was to be part of the city and county councils' West End Area Action Plan for the western part of the city centre, which also considers other rail projects such as Evergreen 3 and the Paddington–Oxford electrification. Chiltern Railways has raised
6248-454: The station used to bottle Malvern Water , a local mineral water . Next to the bridge carrying the B4218 road over the railway is an unusual five-sided cottage. When the railway was built one corner had to be demolished and replaced by a plain wall. After passing through another tunnel, Ledbury station is passed and Hereford station ends the journey on the line. As of 11 December 2011,
6336-464: The traction converter, fuel tank, automated fire protection system (using high pressure nitrogen gas), and braking. The auxiliary power system is powered directly from the direct current stage of the traction system. They are operated in parallel to provide greater redundancy. The power supply converter is designed to work with both sources of power, avoiding the need for a separate converter for each mode, thus reducing weight and complexity. The GU
6424-531: The train before departure using the in-cab monitors. Despite their underfloor positioning, the generator units (GU) feature a V12 engine . Incorporated as a single package, the GU includes the diesel engine , generator, radiator, and other subsystems, such as exhaust cleaning measures compliant with the Stage IIIB European Union exhaust emission standard . Elements external to the GU include
6512-423: The train from exceeding its peak service speed of 125 mph (200 km/h). The Class 800 trains came into service on the Great Western Main Line on 16 October 2017, under the brand name Intercity Express Train (abbreviated to IET ). Teething problems surfaced on the inaugural service, the train not only ran late but one of the carriages suffered an air conditioning unit failure that discharged water into
6600-433: The trains they replace. However, the seats in both standard and first class have been heavily criticised for excessive hardness and discomfort on lengthy journeys, with the overall first class experience said to be a downgrade as the seats are no longer leather like their predecessors due to fire regulations. The GWR IET has also been criticised for the lack of a buffet car with the catering service instead being provided by
6688-654: The upgrade of six Level Crossings. The new double track section between Charlbury and Ascott re-opened on 6 June 2011; the line between Oxford and Moreton-in-Marsh having been closed during the previous nine days. The section between Moreton and Evesham reopened as double track on 22 August 2011 with the line closed for the preceding two weeks. The line was closed from 16 to 25 November 2018, between Moreton-In-Marsh and Worcester Shrub Hill, so that platforms could be extended to accommodate Class 800 trains. Worcestershire Parkway railway station opened in February 2020, following
6776-527: The valley of the River Evenlode repeatedly crossing and re-crossing the river. Hanborough station serves the villages of Long Hanborough , Church Hanborough , Freeland and Bladon . The Oxford Bus Museum is next to Hanborough station. From Hanborough the line enters the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and 1 mile (1.6 km) beyond Hanborough is Combe station. Building
6864-615: The west, Lower Wolvercote was a centre for paper making, mainly for the Oxford University Press from the 17th century until 1998 and is the site of Godstow abbey , a Benedictine convent founded in the 12th century. The line passes under the viaduct carrying the A34 Oxford Western Bypass and 100 yards (91 m) further under the A40 road linking London and Fishguard . The line now turns west; here
6952-422: The works. The village to the north is Paxford . The large country house to the west is Northwick Park , former home of Edward Spencer-Churchill and site of a United States Army hospital during World War II and afterwards a centre for Polish refugees. The line the passes the site of Chipping Campden station, about 1 mile (1.6 km) east of Chipping Campden itself. From here the line goes into cutting, then
7040-456: Was between the future sites of Hinksey Halt and Abingdon Road Halt , both of which were opened in 1908. The GWR took over the ORR while it was still being built, and opened the line as far as Banbury on 2 September 1850. For just over two years, trains from Oxford to Banbury started at Grandpont, and had to reverse at Millstream Junction in order to continue their journey. The ORR line included
7128-586: Was abandoned, and during World War II it was used to store torpedoes. In the early 1970s, 25 miles from Moreton-in-Marsh to Norton Junction, Worcester were converted from double to single track. Following serious floods, which washed parts of embankments away, the line was closed for about a fortnight during July and August 2007 for repairs. Network Rail completed the redoubling of 20 miles (32 km) of track from just east of Charlbury to Ascott-under-Wychwood , and from Moreton-in-Marsh to about 1 mile (1.6 km) west of Evesham on 22 August 2011. This
7216-544: Was adjacent and came under joint management in 1933. On 1 October 1951 British Railways closed Rewley Road station to passengers and transferred its services to this station. South of the station immediately west of the railway tracks is Osney Cemetery , established in 1848 just before the current station site. Nearby is the site of the former Osney Abbey . In November 2009 it was announced that Oxford station would be expanded. A £10 million joint development between Network Rail and Oxfordshire County Council would create
7304-484: Was designed to fulfil the requirements of the Persons with Reduced Mobility-TSI standard, as well as to satisfy the varying requirements and preferences of multiple operators, and to facilitate future refurbishments and reconfigurations. The basic layout has been standardised. The interiors have reportedly been praised for their increased leg-room and greater number of seats and tables in standard class, in comparison to
7392-695: Was developed and produced, alongside an electric-only Class 801 variant, as part of the Intercity Express Programme (IEP) to procure replacements for the InterCity 125 and InterCity 225 fleets of high speed trains. The trains were manufactured by Hitachi between 2014 and 2018, being assembled at Hitachi's Newton Aycliffe Manufacturing Facility using bodyshells shipped from the company's Kasado Works in Japan. Similar bi-mode units have also been produced by Hitachi as Classes 802 , 805 , and 810 . The Class 800 trains came into service on
7480-438: Was greeted by applause. The passenger compartments on the Class 800 trains are typically divided into both first class and standard class sections. The vestibule area accommodates the exterior doors along with space for storage areas for passenger luggage (including bicycles , and a sizable universal accessibility toilet. It can be configured to include catering facilities, including a kitchen and preparation room. The interior
7568-531: Was intended to improve reliability, enable non-stop operations and allow an hourly off peak service to run on the line. The Office of Rail Regulation approved the work in June 2008, although the planned work was over-budget and had to await final approval. In December 2008 vegetation was cleared. A six-week closure of all or part of the line between Oxford and Worcester for preparatory works took place in July and August 2009. Further weekend work planned for February 2010
7656-488: Was postponed by Network Rail. Initial work began in autumn of 2010, with the majority of the second track being relaid between December 2010 and May 2011 when the line was closed at 21.30 from Monday to Thursday. In March 2011 construction works were started on additional structures and signalling equipment that the new line needed, including three new platforms at Charlbury, Ascott-under-Wychwood and Honeybourne . Footbridges at Charlbury and Honeybourne as well as preparation for
7744-469: Was the trackbed from Millstream Junction, some 66 chains (1,300 m ) in length. Major subsequent changes were removal of the last 7 ft 0 + 1 ⁄ 4 in (2,140 mm) gauge tracks in 1872 and of the train shed in 1890–1. The station was substantially rebuilt by the Western Region of British Railways in 1971, further improvements being carried out during 1974 including
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