Oxford: Rail service to London Marylebone imminent

Chiltern Railways has begun the final countdown to the launch of its historic new train service between central Oxford and London Marylebone, with Network Rail engineers having finished the latest railway upgrade on time and on budget. The new service, offering two fast trains an hour, to and fro, will be launched on Monday, December 12.

A new section of track between the old Oxford station, in the city centre, and the new Oxford Parkway station has just been completed, and with the new infrastructure now successfully commissioned, Chiltern’s direct connection between central Oxford and London is almost a reality.

This will be the first new rail link between London and a major British city for more than 100 years.

Train passengers will have two ways to get to London - via Bicester into London Marylebone or on the existing route via Reading into London Paddington.

The new service, resulting from Britain’s Railway Upgrade Plan, was made possible by a £320 million joint investment by Network Rail and Chiltern Railways.

Martin Frobisher, route managing director for Network Rail's London North Western route, said: "This railway upgrade will boost business and create exciting new opportunities for people in the Oxford region."

Dave Penney, managing director of Chiltern Railways, said: “Over 10 years in the making, this is a major milestone for both Network Rail and Chiltern Railways. The current service from Oxford Parkway has been phenomenally successful with over 1.5 million passengers using the line to date.  The completion also reopens a key commuting line between the growing town of Bicester and Oxford.”

The project has seen new stations built, at Oxford Parkway and Bicester Village.