TT-ONR-NRN
Veteran Member
Since March, I’ve commuted by train from Worcester to Oxford between 2 and 4 days a week.
The cost of the train tickets adds up, but over the course of the six months I must have got at least 25% of it back from delay repay, because I almost never arrive on time. The return journey is usually by far the worst. But I find the poor performance of the Cotswold to be the combined result of three flaws, the single line, strange format of Worcester Foregate St, and the bottleneck of Oxford.
The first problem is of course the single track of the Cotswold line between Oxford and Charlbury and between Evesham and Malvern Link (passing points at Evesham and Worcester Shrub Hill). It takes a mere five minute delay to completely throw the line off, and I’m usually sat at Charlbury or Evesham for up to fifteen minutes waiting for passing service. Okay, fair enough, plenty of lines like the West of England line have that issue. Fine.
But then a second problem is the awkward set up through Worcester. I’m not sure how many people know this, but the two platform station of Worcester Foregate Street consists of two single lines with no connection between them. Single track between Birmingham and Malvern, and single track between Oxford, Shrub Hill and Malvern. Which means the single track between Worcester Shrub Hill and Worcester Foregate Street has to be shared by London Malvern services, Bristol Foregate Street services, and hourly Stratford Foregate Street services which pop into Foregate Street first, and therefore don’t arrive into Foregate Street on the other single track directly from Birmingham. So a train will regularly arrive at Shrub Hill, and then have to wait for a London train that’s only just left Malvern Link to get there, before it can proceed. And all too often, they just abandon the service at Shrub Hill. That’s happened four times out of the last six commutes I’ve made.
And then the third problem, which I think is what needs tackling most of all — is Oxford. It’s a complete and utter bottleneck. I appreciate Platform 5 is being built, but frankly, it needs to be demolished and rebuilt not unlike Reading, track and all. It could do with three through islands. When I arrive for the train to Worcester, I can often see trains queuing outside to reach the two through platforms (which are bi-directional), late Cotswold services, regularly late 2tph CrossCountry services, London services terminating and being sent to the sidings, same for the Bristol service in the hour I’m there, and a mixture of both terminating and through Didcot shuttles.
The Banbury service gets to Oxford very early and blocks the main down platform for about ten minutes, leaving multiple trains going both northbound and southbound to squeeze through the other platform. It’s completely ridiculous and just adds to the delays. I’ve already mentioned the ways in which the Cotswold line is already delayed, and the CrossCountry services are hardly famed for being on time. And what’s all the more annoying is there’s two desperately needed through tracks in the middle, but useless to anything except freight as they don’t have platforms!
It doesn’t help that many of the Oxford station staff are persistently rude and unpleasant in my experience. What I have noticed is lots of people wanting London end up on my 1853 to Worcester by mistake, as it comes in on the platform usually used for southbound services, but to be honest, the onboard staff make SO many announcements about this on the train (to the extent where it comes across condescending) so if that happens I have little sympathy.
It’s probably not a priority to redouble the rest of the Cotswold line, or sort the irritating “two separate single lines” format at Worcester Foregate Street, but I reckon Oxford needs to be rebuilt, or at the very least, through platforms added.
The cost of the train tickets adds up, but over the course of the six months I must have got at least 25% of it back from delay repay, because I almost never arrive on time. The return journey is usually by far the worst. But I find the poor performance of the Cotswold to be the combined result of three flaws, the single line, strange format of Worcester Foregate St, and the bottleneck of Oxford.
The first problem is of course the single track of the Cotswold line between Oxford and Charlbury and between Evesham and Malvern Link (passing points at Evesham and Worcester Shrub Hill). It takes a mere five minute delay to completely throw the line off, and I’m usually sat at Charlbury or Evesham for up to fifteen minutes waiting for passing service. Okay, fair enough, plenty of lines like the West of England line have that issue. Fine.
But then a second problem is the awkward set up through Worcester. I’m not sure how many people know this, but the two platform station of Worcester Foregate Street consists of two single lines with no connection between them. Single track between Birmingham and Malvern, and single track between Oxford, Shrub Hill and Malvern. Which means the single track between Worcester Shrub Hill and Worcester Foregate Street has to be shared by London Malvern services, Bristol Foregate Street services, and hourly Stratford Foregate Street services which pop into Foregate Street first, and therefore don’t arrive into Foregate Street on the other single track directly from Birmingham. So a train will regularly arrive at Shrub Hill, and then have to wait for a London train that’s only just left Malvern Link to get there, before it can proceed. And all too often, they just abandon the service at Shrub Hill. That’s happened four times out of the last six commutes I’ve made.
And then the third problem, which I think is what needs tackling most of all — is Oxford. It’s a complete and utter bottleneck. I appreciate Platform 5 is being built, but frankly, it needs to be demolished and rebuilt not unlike Reading, track and all. It could do with three through islands. When I arrive for the train to Worcester, I can often see trains queuing outside to reach the two through platforms (which are bi-directional), late Cotswold services, regularly late 2tph CrossCountry services, London services terminating and being sent to the sidings, same for the Bristol service in the hour I’m there, and a mixture of both terminating and through Didcot shuttles.
The Banbury service gets to Oxford very early and blocks the main down platform for about ten minutes, leaving multiple trains going both northbound and southbound to squeeze through the other platform. It’s completely ridiculous and just adds to the delays. I’ve already mentioned the ways in which the Cotswold line is already delayed, and the CrossCountry services are hardly famed for being on time. And what’s all the more annoying is there’s two desperately needed through tracks in the middle, but useless to anything except freight as they don’t have platforms!
It doesn’t help that many of the Oxford station staff are persistently rude and unpleasant in my experience. What I have noticed is lots of people wanting London end up on my 1853 to Worcester by mistake, as it comes in on the platform usually used for southbound services, but to be honest, the onboard staff make SO many announcements about this on the train (to the extent where it comes across condescending) so if that happens I have little sympathy.
It’s probably not a priority to redouble the rest of the Cotswold line, or sort the irritating “two separate single lines” format at Worcester Foregate Street, but I reckon Oxford needs to be rebuilt, or at the very least, through platforms added.
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But I did say between Shrub Hill and before Malvern Link 
