Closed Banbury lines?

[polypody]

Not really sure if this should come under the preservation forum or this one but here goes. When travelling south on the M40 I notice what appear to be two abandoned railway embankments on the east (left) of the motorway, just after one passes the Banbury m-way junction. Are these abandoned lines or other features?

 

[30907]

South of Banbury it's the old branch from Buckingham/Blisworth (LNWR - did it have its own terminus?); north is the (once very important cross-country) link to Woodford Halse on the GCR.

Both are very easy to trace on Google Earth.

 

[yorksrob]

The GCR to Woodford Halse was a double track route carrying cross country express trains from the South coast to the midlands until the 1960's.

The LNWR branch from Buckingham did have it's own terminus in Merton Street.

 

[Bevan Price]

South of Banbury it's the old branch from Buckingham/Blisworth (LNWR - did it have its own terminus?); north is the (once very important cross-country) link to Woodford Halse on the GCR.

Both are very easy to trace on Google Earth.

Banbury Merton Street was the terminus of the LNWR line. See:

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/b/banbury_merton_street/index.shtml