East West Rail Mainline Interchanges

[12LDA28C]

Look at the post above - there are facing and trailing crossovers west of Bletchley HL. Trains from Oxford can return west directly reversing in either platform. Trains from Bedford would need to shunt via the west end to return east. Trains from MKC to P7 would also need to shunt. It's not immediately clear whether a train from MKC would be able to use the Down Flyover wrong-road into 8 for a reversal, although I suspect it Cannot, because the value of such a move would be minimal compared to the cost of implementing it in the signalling.

Indeed, I looked at the diagram and have already edited my post.

 

[swt_passenger]

I would have thought that if there are signals at the north end of both platforms, that indicates that trains from Oxford will indeed be able to reverse - the track layout appears to feature a crossover before the platforms so that eastbound trains can terminate in Platform 8 and return west. That would explain your assumption that the signal at the north end of P8 is a fixed red, although don't forget that 3-aspect signalling can use a single LED lens.

I’m sure you’re right, and wasn’t the crossover position and signalling discussed a few months back in the parallel “EWR construction” thread? The new crossovers are quite a significant distance west, (about 1.2 km), from the platforms as well, suggesting they are only designed around moves from and to the Oxford direction.