Article from BTNews 19 DECEMBER 2016
Oxford – London alternative
A year ago, BTN reported on the opening of Chiltern Railways’ new line to Oxford Parkway. On 12 December, the routeing was extended to Oxford central, with a half-hourly service each way.
From Marylebone, it goes via a whole series of stations including Wembley Stadium, South Ruislip (for Northolt?), High Wycombe and Bicester.
Our railway expert Andrew Sharp was on board.
An interview with Dave Penney, Chiltern’s MD, revealed that the line has carried 1.5m passengers since opening – above expectations. There is a good mix of business, commuter and leisure traffic, especially to the retail park at Bicester Village, which has on-train announcements in Arabic and Mandarin.
It is possible to make the London – Oxford journey in 55min by GWR, 5min less than Chiltern’s best, but the units are more comfortable than some of the trains on the Paddington route.
The service contributes financially to the infrastructure, Chiltern able to influence its design – double-track throughout, with overbridges big enough for electrification. Next step is East-West Rail, a line between Oxford and Cambridge, which will use part of the route. Chiltern (through its owner Arriva, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn) wants to be involved if the plans recently announced by the secretary of state come to fruition.
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