Oxford link sets date

The long-awaited Chiltern Railways service between Oxford city centre and Marylebone station in London opens next Monday (12 December) following completion of a £320m programme transforming a former branch line into a 100mph main line.

The route currently stops at Oxford Parkway, on the university city’s northern outskirts, which opened in October last year. The extension will enable two trains an hour to run with the journey taking as little as 1hr.

The London end offers easy connections to the Underground, with Bakerloo Line moments away at Marylebone and a choice of four more tube lines within a 5min walk to Baker Street.

Other features include free wi-fi, power points and spacious carriages with plenty of tables. Network Rail contributed £190m of the cost, with Chiltern investing £130m.

Chiltern's managing director Dave Penney said: “The new service will bring significant social, economic and environmental benefits to those living and working along the route and will mark the completion of the first new rail link between a major British city and London for over 100 years.”

www.chilternrailways.co.uk

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