Government announces upgrade funding for Oxford station

The government has announced upgrades for Oxford station with the aim to increase journey times.

The £161 million upgrade aims to provide faster journeys, increased services and a fully accessible entrance. The plan is to improve passenger experience, better integrate the station into the local road network and promote economic growth by supporting the creation of 10,000 jobs.

Oxford station is one of the busiest in the South of England, with 8.7 million passengers a year pre-pandemic.

The upgrades include a new track, platform and fully accessible entrance on the west side of the station and should be completed by 2024.

The existing road bridge on Botley Road will be renovated to create a cycling and walking path and to allow double-decker busses underneath for the first time.

The project is part of the government's SPEED (Swift, Pragmatic and Efficient Enhancement Delivery) scheme, which aims to halve the time it takes to complete a rail infrastructure project and cut the cost of project delivery.

Rail Minister, Wendy Morton said: "While union bosses continue on their campaign to inflict maximum disruption to the lives of everyday people with strikes, I am busy getting on with the job at the hand, modernising our railways to create one which is fit for the 21st Century and meets the needs of the modern day passenger.

"This £161 million will truly transform the region, increasing the number of services for passengers, boosting economic growth by connecting people to new opportunities and increasing freight services between the South and Midlands.

Mike Gallop, Network Rail’s Western route and strategic operations director, said: "We are delighted to have been awarded this significant amount of funding from the Department for Transport, which will enable us make positive substantial improvements to Oxford station and railway for the benefit of our passengers and freight customers.

"A new entrance, new additional track and platform, and improved accessibility will transform this station so that is fit for the 21st century and significantly enhance its capacity for increases in passenger numbers and future services such as East West Rail.

"Work at the station will begin later this year, with the Botley Road improvements expected to be completed by the end of 2023 followed by the new platform and entrance which is set to open in 2024."

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