EWR: Will Winslow station platforms be extended?

[RUK]

Moderator note: split from

Chiltern Railways selected as operator for the first stage of East West Rail - Oxford to Milton Keynes

Update from Chiltern yesterday: https://www.chilternrailways.co.uk/oxford-to-miltonkeynes **East West Rail - Oxford to Milton Keynes – Passenger Service Update – November 2025** Since being announced as operator of the first stage of East West Rail between Oxford and Milton Keynes in March...

www.railforums.co.uk

What are the platform lengths at Winslow?

EWR have just announced that their plans have changed from 4-car platforms (106 metres) to 5-car platforms, but since Winslow will already have been built, will its platforms need to be extended?

All station plans already have passive provision for 202-metre-long platforms. Will platform extension, if necessary, happen before it opens, since there’s a delay with it being suitable for use anyway?

 

[zwk500]

What are the platform lengths at Winslow?

Stated platform lengths in the Timetable Planning Rules are 106m for each direction. Can't answer any of your other questions.

 

[The Planner]

What are the platform lengths at Winslow? EWR have just announced that their plans have changed from 4-car platforms (106 metres) to 5-car platforms, but since Winslow will already have been built, will its platforms need to be extended? All station plans already have passive provision for 202-metre long platforms. Will platform extension, if necessary, happen before it opens, since there’s a delay with it being suitable for use anyway?

EWR are still years away, no one is going to extend platforms in the short term. It would just be SDO in the interim if it went above 4 cars Oxford to MK.

 

[PLY2AYS]

EWR are still years away, no one is going to extend platforms in the short term. It would just be SDO in the interim if it went above 4 cars Oxford to MK.

Have balise(s) been installed for ASDO, or is 196 system done on GPS?

Worthy of note too, that this would rule out any 165 and 168 use over 4 cars long, as they do not have SDO/ASDO.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Have balise(s) been installed for ASDO, or is 196 system done on GPS?

Worthy of note too, that this would rule out any 165 and 168 use over 4 cars long, as they do not have SDO/ASDO.

There is no plan I'm aware of to use 165 or 168 anyway. Certainly not in 5 car sets.

 

[The Planner]

Have balise(s) been installed for ASDO, or is 196 system done on GPS?

Worthy of note too, that this would rule out any 165 and 168 use over 4 cars long, as they do not have SDO/ASDO.

No idea, but ASDO beacons aren't exactly the most strenuous things to install.

 

[PLY2AYS]

No idea, but ASDO beacons aren't exactly the most strenuous things to install.

Agreed.

There is no plan I'm aware of to use 165 or 168 anyway. Certainly not in 5 car sets.

When is the lease for the 196s up?

From what I’ve heard rumoured, their lease has been extended. But how true that is and whether it would be affected by re-nationalisation remains unclear to me at present.
I’ll do some digging and find out.

 

[Wyrleybart]

There is no plan I'm aware of to use 165 or 168 anyway. Certainly not in 5 car sets.

And given there are only six 46m class 196s in the fleet it is very unlikely they would operate anything longer than 92m assuming they could achieve 100% availability and put out three pairs of 196s. But even if the six units were marshalled as three pairs they would still only be 138m long.

Don't get me wrong, this line has massive potential just like the other recent reopenings - Tweedbank, Northumberland, Elizabeth, and it will very soon outstrip it's resources. Should have been electrified and be using facelifted 350/2s IMHO

 

[stadler]

Have balise(s) been installed for ASDO, or is 196 system done on GPS?

Worthy of note too, that this would rule out any 165 and 168 use over 4 cars long, as they do not have SDO/ASDO.

Technically you could use a 168 as the driver has the ability to activate SDO for the front coach only. If they press the door deselect button then this releases both doors in the front carriage but all other carriages stay locked. But i cant imagine they would be happy with making everyone board and alight through one carriage so it is unlikely. On a 165 there is no SDO at all.

 

[gordonthemoron]

Isn’t Milton Keynes more of a problem, as platform 2A can only take 4 coaches, and anything longer has to go into platform 2, which is already used by MKC-Euston stoppers

 

[PLY2AYS]

Technically you could use a 168 as the driver has the ability to activate SDO for the front coach only. If they press the door deselect button then this releases both doors in the front carriage but all other carriages stay locked. But i cant imagine they would be happy with making everyone board and alight through one carriage so it is unlikely. On a 165 there is no SDO at all.

I think you’ve got your traction mixed up.

 

[RUK]

Will 6 Class 196s be enough to cover the Marston Vale line as well, when it’s gone through its first phase of upgrades and been added onto the current new section?

 

[D365]

Will 6 Class 196s be enough to cover the Marston Vale line as well, when it’s gone through its first phase of upgrades and been added onto the current new section?

You’d get a better answer by asking that question in the main EWR speculation thread.

 

[MatthewHutton]

Isn’t Milton Keynes more of a problem, as platform 2A can only take 4 coaches, and anything longer has to go into platform 2, which is already used by MKC-Euston stoppers

I suspect in the medium term that the Oxford trains will be extended beyond Milton Keynes so trains from Aylesbury can terminate at MKC.

 

[mr_jrt]

Presumably, you could length platform 2a for an extra car or two's length by realigning the through tracks, moving the S&C south, then building out the actual platform? I imagine it might impact the line speed, but I would imagine everything bar freight stops at MKC anyway, so would it be that big a deal to lose a few seconds if the tighter curvature needed it (and I'm not sure it would).

 

[zwk500]

Isn’t Milton Keynes more of a problem, as platform 2A can only take 4 coaches, and anything longer has to go into platform 2, which is already used by MKC-Euston stoppers

Platform 2A is 124m operational length according to the Timetable Planning Rules, so in theory I think a 5-Car Class 196 could squeeze in although it would be very tight.

Presumably, you could length platform 2a for an extra car or two's length by realigning the through tracks, moving the S&C south, then building out the actual platform? I imagine it might impact the line speed, but I would imagine everything bar freight stops at MKC anyway, so would it be that big a deal to lose a few seconds if the tighter curvature needed it (and I'm not sure it would).

The cost of doing that would be enormous. The toe of the current turnout on the Up Slow is not that far north of the H6 Child's Way Bridge, and you've got a whacking great pier next to the existing railway at that point. You've also got an existing sheet piled retaining wall following the path of the Up Slow at that turnout which would need to be rebuilt if the tracks were slued further south.

If a 3rd track between Denbigh Hall South Jn and MKC ever happens then 2a could be extended then maybe.

 

[WolvertonWorks]

Not sure if this is the correct place to post this, please move or append to correct thread elsewhere if it isn't.

Report on the BBC website today about Winslow station opening (or not opening soon) that includes the comment from Diana Blamires, who sits on the town council. "Blamires said: "Now we are told there are no trains and the rolling stock has gone elsewhere."

Anyone know what is happening?

Delay to opening makes Winslow's new station a 'laughing stock'

A councillor says residents are "furious" a station completed a year ago is still not in operation.

www.bbc.co.uk

Delays to opening makes station a 'laughing stock'​

Residents of Winslow are frustrated a new railway station completed over a year ago has still not opened.

A local councillor said it had been due to open in the Buckinghamshire town in December 2025 but there had been a "comedy of errors", including a row over who will control the opening and closing of carriage doors.

Diana Blamires, who sits on the town council, said the local community was "obviously furious" and "it makes Winslow station a laughing stock".

In a statement, Chiltern Railways - responsible for operating services between Oxford and Milton Keynes - said no date for the opening had yet been confirmed.

Blamires said: "Now we are told there are no trains and the rolling stock has gone elsewhere.

"And next the platforms are going to have to be rebuilt to make them longer because of Universal Studios coming to the area."

 

[WolvertonWorks]

The natives are getting restless - Action group formed to get the station opened.

Winslow residents form action group as wait for station drags on

New East West Rail station still closed after row between unions and the rail operator over staffing.

www.bbc.co.uk

Campaigners pushing for the opening of a new railway station that was completed more than a year ago have started an action group, external to get it up and running.

Winslow lies on the East West Rail (EWR) line between Oxford and Milton Keynes, but passenger services are yet to start, despite Chiltern Railways being appointed to run them in March 2025.

 

[zwk500]

The natives are getting restless - Action group formed to get the station opened.

Campaigners pushing for the opening of a new railway station that was completed more than a year ago have started an action group, external to get it up and running.

As they have every right to be, quite frankly!

To quote from the article:

Sue North, who owns The Farm Deli in the town, said: "People have got to be held to account", adding: "If I was running my business this way, I couldn't survive."

It's very hard to disagree with either point made.

My first question would be why the government(s) only formally appointed a TOC *after* the line was built.

 

[Robin Edwards]

As it's a certain date in the year it might be prudent to announce the closure of Winslow station following lack of passenger use over the past year

I'm surprised opposition parties aren't having a field day with the government minister over, "how not to run GB Railways"

 

[Bletchleyite]

As it's a certain date in the year it might be prudent to announce the closure of Winslow station following lack of passenger use over the past year

There's still an hour and ten minutes left...

 

[DarloRich]

The natives are getting restless - Action group formed to get the station opened.

The local MP has been quiet about this which surprises me as his majority is not the biggest - the action group can and will be ignored. The MP less so.

The entire situation is an embarrassment. You can go on a steam train along the line but not a normal passenger train...............

My first question would be why the government(s) only formally appointed a TOC *after* the line was built.

Politics - the Tories knew there was a mess with the guards and knowing they were going to lose passed it on!

 

[zwk500]

Politics - the Tories knew there was a mess with the guards and knowing they were going to lose passed it on!

Equally, it was a perfect opportunity for the Tories to get one stuck with the Unions. 'Evil RMT blocks brand new railway from opening'.

The fact the the Government, Chiltern, EWR and RMT have *all* been very quiet about this suggests that there's something deeper going on but when everybody's keeping schtum it's difficult for any sort of public accountability to take place.

 

[cle]

To the public, it's a bit pathetic - and the way the government crow on about Universal, Cambridge Cambridge Cambridge - b1tches can't even agree to run this shuttle services.

Or, to the average Joe, what is the point in all this infrastructure puffery and spending if we can't get out of our own way, or plan for this stuff ahead.

And 'the railway' - regardless of the detail - becomes the laughing stock, and people keep driving.