A railway station in one of the UK’s most famous cities is undergoing a huge £161million upgrade as it cannot cope with any more passengers.
Network Rail says the infrastructure in the Oxford Station area – which is one of the busiest in the country outside London – is ‘close to full capacity’ and currently wouldn’t support the start of East West Rail services.
Therefore, the station is being expanded, and the wider area is upgraded. Officials say the work will bring a range of benefits.
Commuters will be able to enjoy bigger more railway services with East West Rail, additional rail capacity for the future and an “improved and safer” road layout, as well as the larger interchange.
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Oxford Station’s new western entrance. (Image: Network Rail)
Some key changes include introducing a new track and platform to be added alongside the existing platform 4. Bosses say this will create an island platform on the station’s west side.
The design also includes a new western station entrance built next to Botley Road, which will link to the new platform via a subway, stairs, and lift.
According to the plan, the new entrance aims to make the station more accessible to people living to the west of it.
In addition, the Botley Road bridge will be replaced, including the road lowered to enable standard double-decker buses to pass underneath for the first time.
The new bridge design will also include a four-metre-wide cycle and footpath on each side to improve safety.
Oxford is known for its university, architecture and culture. (Image: Getty)
Customers can also expect reduced journey times thanks to three new crossovers, Network Rail says, which allow trains to switch tracks at Oxford North Junction.
A spokesperson for Network Rail previously said: “Outside of London, Oxford is one of the busiest stations in the south, managing more than 8.5million passengers a year before the pandemic, which has been recovering strongly. The new track and platform on the west side of the station will significantly improve station capacity from 2024 and accommodate new services.
“The closure of two level crossings, together with the work to improve the way trains flow into the station, will also increase capacity along the Oxford corridor to accommodate an additional 12 freight trains per day along this key part of the country’s strategic freight network, which will help ensure fuel reaches the petrol pumps, food makes it onto supermarket shelves and household waste is taken to recycling depots.”