Chiltern Oxford Link completed

[didcotdean]

Looking forward to my first ride on saturday from Oxford to Oxford Parkway, I wonder if the Oxford Day Rover covers this?

Although Chiltern is a company listed in participating in such products as 'Oxfordshire Day Ranger' and 'Oxford Evening Out', this would be in relationship to the limited Chiltern service between Banbury and Oxford starting from Stratford-upon-Avon. They didn't include Banbury to Bicester North before, and nothing else has yet been added on the map on National Rail. Not sure if Oxford to Bicester Town was ever included at one time.

 

[shredder1]

Although Chiltern is a company listed in participating in such products as 'Oxfordshire Day Ranger' and 'Oxford Evening Out', this would be in relationship to the limited Chiltern service between Banbury and Oxford starting from Stratford-upon-Avon. They didn't include Banbury to Bicester North before, and nothing else has yet been added on the map on National Rail. Not sure if Oxford to Bicester Town was ever included at one time.

Many thanks for your reply, appreciated

 

[Kite159]

Although Chiltern is a company listed in participating in such products as 'Oxfordshire Day Ranger' and 'Oxford Evening Out', this would be in relationship to the limited Chiltern service between Banbury and Oxford starting from Stratford-upon-Avon. They didn't include Banbury to Bicester North before, and nothing else has yet been added on the map on National Rail. Not sure if Oxford to Bicester Town was ever included at one time.

I'm sure Oxford to Bicester Town was included at one time when it was run by FGW, and was removed when the line closed for rebuilding

 

[didcotdean]

I thought that too from memory, but couldn't be absolutely sure.

Maybe a little gentle reminder needs to be made to Chiltern. As well as considering some fares specific to the route - for example currently the cheapest Didcot to High Wycombe fare is £32 return (ie more expensive than London, as you can route your journey that way) although you can do a split for £19.50 at Oxford.

 

[jimm]

Thinking about how Chiltern Railways could promote the Oxford General services, they could while engineering works are ongoing via Reading, print out some A5 leaflets to be handed out at stations.

The leaflet could be kept simple and have the following 3 questions:

Travelling between London and Oxford (also add x dates if need be)?

Dislike rail replacement buses?

Why not try the Alternative Route?

The final question above is a clever use of wordplay, as the route via High Wycombe is often referred to the GWR/Great Central Railway Alternative Route.

Any thoughts?

Yes, here's a thought.

Why not try checking the GWR Christmas travel page? Where GWR is advising passengers from Oxford to, er, use the Chiltern service to Marylebone... the same advice is on info cards about the work at Paddington and Cardiff stuck into the slots on the seatbacks on GWR HSTs, along with suggesting Hereford and Worcester passengers use LM and Virgin via Birmingham.

While the two TOCs are in competition, they are also perfectly capable of cooperating amicably as well, such as times when the Chiltern route south of Banbury or Bicester was shut for engineering and Chiltern services from Birmingham and Banbury have run to Didcot for GWR connections to London.

I'm sure Oxford to Bicester Town was included at one time when it was run by FGW, and was removed when the line closed for rebuilding

You're right about this - I seem to recall Chiltern were somewhat vague about whether the local rover tickets would be accepted once the line reopened. Maybe something for Obrag to take up with them?

Had a run to London and back today. Out on the 07.20, with Parkway and Bicester Village indeed very busy. Back on a very rattly 172 - making all sorts of odd noises under the floor - and definitely not a great advert for anyone new to Chiltern's services.

This contrast in quality between the different types of rolling stock could become an issue for Chiltern, especially once 800s and 802s take over the GWR Oxford fasts.

 

[Kite159]

I will probably wait until later in the week to have a quick trip to Oxford Parkway, attempting to intercept the loco hauled evening set back into Oxford.

Then maybe in the new year have an Oxford round trip

 

[fgwrich]

Interesting conflicting views from the news outlets today, with Global News briefly talking about it but mentioning that the first train from Oxford to Marylebone arrived 8 minutes late, while the BBC couldn't get it's facts right this morning by mentioning the usual corporate spin about it being 'The First Rail Link connecting a British city to London for over 100 years' and then briefly claimed it was the first time Bicester was connected by rail to Oxford. :roll:

 

[Doctor Fegg]

'The First Rail Link connecting a British city to London for over 100 years'

*cough* HS1 to Canterbury *cough*

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

What rolling stock will be used on the Marylebone to Oxford services, how many carriages? and how does that compare with the stock / number of carriages used on the GWR services to / from Padd?

 

[BRX]

*cough* HS1 to Canterbury *cough*

HS1 doesn't go to Canterbury!

 

[berneyarms]

Had a run to London and back today. Out on the 07.20, with Parkway and Bicester Village indeed very busy. Back on a very rattly 172 - making all sorts of odd noises under the floor - and definitely not a great advert for anyone new to Chiltern's services.

This contrast in quality between the different types of rolling stock could become an issue for Chiltern, especially once 800s and 802s take over the GWR Oxford fasts.

To be fair though, non-mainline stock on services to/from Oxford is fairly limited in the context of the overall schedule:

Mon/Fri:
05:36, 06:02, 08:01, 08:21 (Hybrid), 10:10, 13:11 and 23:15 (FX) ex-Oxford
06:09, 06:48 (Hybrid), 08:41, 11:35, 21:32 (FX), 22:40 and 23:10 (FO) ex-Marylebone

Saturday:
06:12, 07:10, 07:38, 18:07 (Hybrid), 21:09 ex-Oxford
05:57, 16:35 (Hybrid), 19:35 (Hybrid) ex-Marylebone

Sunday:
22:15 and 23:15 ex-Marylebone

 

[davetheguard]

HS1 doesn't go to Canterbury!

And if judged by that criteria, a short new curve at Bicester doesn't go to Oxford.....

 

[BRX]

And if judged by that criteria, a short new curve at Bicester doesn't go to Oxford.....

Well... 100% of the route between Oxford and Marylebone is one which you could not previously use to make a direct journey between London and Oxford. Same does not apply for Canterbury.

But yes I get your point.

 

[jimm]

To be fair though, non-mainline stock on services to/from Oxford is fairly limited in the context of the overall schedule:

Mon/Fri:
05:36, 06:02, 08:01, 08:21 (Hybrid), 10:10, 13:11 and 23:15 (FX) ex-Oxford
06:09, 06:48 (Hybrid), 08:41, 11:35, 21:32 (FX), 22:40 and 23:10 (FO) ex-Marylebone

Saturday:
06:12, 07:10, 07:38, 18:07 (Hybrid), 21:09 ex-Oxford
05:57, 16:35 (Hybrid), 19:35 (Hybrid) ex-Marylebone

Sunday:
22:15 and 23:15 ex-Marylebone

Maybe so, but if you make one trip on a Mk3 set and find yourself returning on a 172 or 165, you sure as heck will notice the difference.

GWR has the same issue to some degree with tsome Turbos on an Oxford fast among the HSTs and 180s at present but in a couple of years' time, those should be a uniform 800/802 operation

 

[Nicholas43]

Well... 100% of the route between Oxford and Marylebone is one which you could not previously use to make a direct journey between London and Oxford.

*cough*Once upon a time, you could travel from (Paddington to) Ruislip to Oxford via High Wycombe and Morris Cowley. And in LNWR days, you could travel from Euston to Oxford via Bletchley and Bicester.
It is odd that Chiltern are hyping so relentlessly the mere reinstatement of double track on (some of) the long-existing railway between Oxford "General" and Water Eaton. Was there similar hype about removing cobwebs from the line between Ruislip and Neasden?

 

[a good off]

GWR has the same issue to some degree with tsome Turbos on an Oxford fast among the HSTs and 180s at present but in a couple of years' time, those should be a uniform 800/802 operation

Even more reason to go via Chiltern then! I've seen the new GWR trains...

 

[MK Tom]

One slight oversight with the new service - Aylesbury to Oxford is now possible in one change at High Wycombe (same for Risborough branch stations) but fares via High Wycombe aren't available.

I think an easement is really due here as I know passengers would rather run down to Wycombe and back than make two changes at Risborough and Haddenham.

Nobody say "oh there's the 280" please!

 

[didcotdean]

Peak time capacity is already a problem, if social media grumbling reports are to be believed. Those at Oxford Parkway and Bicester Village that have been used to getting into an empty or half-empty train are finding them near-full on arrival.

Still carting round a lot of fresh air in the day though in these early days.

 

[jimm]

Even more reason to go via Chiltern then! I've seen the new GWR trains...

Yes, I'm sure there be a mass exodus from GWR next year:roll:

Though we are still waiting for the one from Cotswold Line stations since Oxford Parkway opened, which I seem to recall an excitable contributor to another forum predicting would wipe out custom at Hanborough at one fell swoop. Instead, custom was up 11% year-on-year for 2015-16.

 

[ctyerkes]

A chap I spoke to on the first Sunday service said he knew of someone commuting by car from Cheltenham to Oxford Parkway to the catch the train to Marylebone - faster, he reckoned, than getting the train all the way to Cheltenham to Paddington. Some catchment area!

Sent from my SM-T520 using Tapatalk

 

[jimm]

A chap I spoke to on the first Sunday service said he knew of someone commuting by car from Cheltenham to Oxford Parkway to the catch the train to Marylebone - faster, he reckoned, than getting the train all the way to Cheltenham to Paddington. Some catchment area!

Sent from my SM-T520 using Tapatalk

Don't know how it would work out that much faster really - I'd be allowing a good hour for the drive, add on a bit of safety margin for traffic hold-ups, parking, getting to the platform and an hour on the train from Parkway to Marylebone, which looks an awful lot like the typical two hours 10 minutes from Cheltenham to Paddington.

That said, people have been driving from the east side of Cheltenham to Cotswold Line stations for many years, again with not much obvious time benefit, but the same goes for people in Worcester who insist driving to Warwick Parkway is better than using the Cotswold Line - though parking is certainly easier than at Shrub Hill.

Whatever floats your boat, I suppose, but rather them than me.

 

[FGW_DID]

Obviously not knowing which part of Cheltenham this chap lives in, but, I've just checked Google maps (23:35) - Cheltenham to Oxford Parkway shows as 55 mins with the fastest route along the A40. He must be driving well outside normal 'commuter hours' to get a decent run on the A40.

When I'm finishing nights and driving home westbound on the A40, the opposite carriageway from Witney - Oxford is usually rammed and at a snails pace from about 0530 onwards.

Sounds like a false economy to me!

 

[Cherry_Picker]

A chap I spoke to on the first Sunday service said he knew of someone commuting by car from Cheltenham to Oxford Parkway to the catch the train to Marylebone - faster, he reckoned, than getting the train all the way to Cheltenham to Paddington. Some catchment area!

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That's been a thing for a while and it's not unique to Oxford Parkway. I'm of the understanding that Beaconsfield is another Chiltern station which has users who live a considerable number of miles away from the station, with it being a mile or so from the M40 and not too far from the M4 and M25 there are a number of season ticket holders at Beaconsfield with addresses in the Cotswolds.
I'd imagine there are dozens of stations which are 20-50 miles from London which are regularly used as park and rides by people who live much further out.

 

[route:oxford]

Don't know how it would work out that much faster really - I'd be allowing a good hour for the drive, add on a bit of safety margin for traffic hold-ups, parking, getting to the platform and an hour on the train from Parkway to Marylebone, which looks an awful lot like the typical two hours 10 minutes from Cheltenham to Paddington.

First service to London from Cheltenham on a Sunday is 09:24, taking 2h18m.

First service to London from Oxford Parkway on a Sunday is 07:49, taking 1h02m.

So at best, they'll save around 15 minutes...

But, perhaps more importantly, he won't waste 2h51m of his day waiting for the first service.

 

[absolutelymilk]

Don't know how it would work out that much faster really - I'd be allowing a good hour for the drive, add on a bit of safety margin for traffic hold-ups, parking, getting to the platform and an hour on the train from Parkway to Marylebone, which looks an awful lot like the typical two hours 10 minutes from Cheltenham to Paddington.

If he lives fifteen minutes away from Cheltenham towards Oxford Parkway (e.g. Charlton Kings from a quick check on Google Maps) then he is saving 45 minutes. I assume he would also need a bit of a safety margin at Cheltenham?

To drag this back on topic, how have loadings changed over the course of the week?

 

[Class 170101]

To drag this back on topic, how have loadings changed over the course of the week?

I would give it more time. Loadings will doubtless drift off next week as people start packing up for Christmas. In any event the line has only been open a week. Try asking that question after 6 months.

 

[Kite159]

I would give it more time. Loadings will doubtless drift off next week as people start packing up for Christmas. In any event the line has only been open a week. Try asking that question after 6 months.

Agreed, peak time evening loadings will be drifting this week due to the potential of commuters staying longer in London for Christmas parties.

Car-park at Oxford Parkway this evening was around 90% full (of what I could see) before the Loco hauled set arrived

 

[jimm]

First service to London from Cheltenham on a Sunday is 09:24, taking 2h18m.

First service to London from Oxford Parkway on a Sunday is 07:49, taking 1h02m.

So at best, they'll save around 15 minutes...

But, perhaps more importantly, he won't waste 2h51m of his day waiting for the first service.

The initial post was referring to someone doing a regular commute, not someone doing the journey on Sundays.

 

[jimm]

More work at Oxford station over the Christmas break. From Network Rail Oxford area newsletter

Work continues at Oxford Station and over the Christmas period we will be making use of a 54 hour track possession. Starting at 11pm on 24 December until 5am on 27 December we will be laying down tactile paving (to aid disabled customers) on platform 2 and 3. We’ll also prepare the platforms for new canopies, install a new under track crossing for new cables and carry out auger piling (which is quitter than alternative methods) around the existing footbridge at the station.

 

[leomartin125]

Anyone know if Chiltern plan to send in more trains, possibly loco hauled sets, to Oxford over Christmas to relieve the amount of people wanting to use their trains instead of GWR's as a link to London as of tomorrow?