GWR planning Saturday Bristol - Oxford service Sept to Dec 2024

[The Planner]

And I'd say Oxford as well.

I'm surprised in a way that the (future) Bristol to Oxford service (as I write this post) and ther current London to Oxford services don't carry on to Banbury and terminate there (or even Stratford Upon Avon which Chiltern don't seem to want anymore).

Oxford has the new down platform being built and also the opportunity to get the unit out the way as an ECS to the sidings.

 

[Falcon1200]

Oxford has the new down platform being built

Which will be a great benefit, but with trains terminating in Oxford from both the north/east and south/west it is reasonable to ponder whether and how services could be combined. Of course, different operators and rolling stock provision are issues, but IMHO a Milton Keynes/Bristol service, along with a re-opened station at Wantage Road, would be very useful.

 

[cle]

Banbury doesn’t really feel big or important enough. But this might be a great candidate for the oft-mentioned Oxford-Moor St service.

Yes that was implied to be a Chiltern thing, but extending/merging these services would offer direct Bath, Chippenham and Swindon to Birmingham links (Bristol-Brum itself would obv be too slow this way) - plus many other new pairings like Banbury and Leam/Warwick/Solihull with these. Might be interesting.

 

[Fermiboson]

I still don’t quite get what the reason is that there’s no Oxford - Moor St service - is it platform capacity at Oxford or Moor St? Line capacity on the Chiltern mainline? No spare units? Demand is definitely there - see the constantly full and standing XCs.

 

[dk1]

I still don’t quite get what the reason is that there’s no Oxford - Moor St service - is it platform capacity at Oxford or Moor St? Line capacity on the Chiltern mainline? No spare units? Demand is definitely there - see the constantly full and standing XCs.

Central Trains once tried to operate such a service and was quickly told it had no chance because of Virgin Trains moderation of competition. Same reason no other operator runs anything between Birmingham & Bristol.

 

[The Planner]

I still don’t quite get what the reason is that there’s no Oxford - Moor St service - is it platform capacity at Oxford or Moor St? Line capacity on the Chiltern mainline? No spare units? Demand is definitely there - see the constantly full and standing XCs.

Leamington to Moor St is the issue generally. You have to do a bit of shuffling to divert the via Cov XC when that route is blocked, so if the Reading Newcastle eventually is able to be diverted it opens up a path.

 

[Class 170101]

Leamington to Moor St is the issue generally. You have to do a bit of shuffling to divert the via Cov XC when that route is blocked, so if the Reading Newcastle eventually is able to be diverted it opens up a path.

But the XC service is itself a problem running via Coventry if you want to carry more freight, which the current government apparently wants, the single line sections between Leamington and Coventry are clearly a capacity restriction.

Oxford has the new down platform being built and also the opportunity to get the unit out the way as an ECS to the sidings.

Is the Down Platform reversible and thus have a crossover back to the Up towards Didcot etc? ECS moves like this to sidings still take up capacity as station staff have to check the train is empty before procedding. This seems to be quite a lengthy procedure these days. So hence the new down platform and maybe return path to Didcot...

Which will be a great benefit,

but with trains terminating in Oxford from both the north/east and south/west it is reasonable to ponder whether and how services could be combined. Of course, different operators and rolling stock provision are issues, but IMHO a Milton Keynes/Bristol service, along with a re-opened station at Wantage Road, would be very useful.

At least the north and east services have bays to terminate in. However these may not be enough with East West Rail - upto 4tph? And Chiltern is it now 2tph? Additionally if the line to Cowley re-opens () then those bays won't necessarily be fully used if services are extended here.

 

[The Planner]

But the XC service is itself a problem running via Coventry if you want to carry more freight, which the current government apparently wants, the single line sections between Leamington and Coventry are clearly a capacity restriction.

Which is well known, and the plans are to redouble Milverton Jn to Kenilworth as often discussed on here, that and any recast of the Coventry corridor post HS2 will allow the move.

Is the Down Platform reversible and thus have a crossover back to the Up towards Didcot etc? ECS moves like this to sidings still take up capacity as station staff have to check the train is empty before procedding. This seems to be quite a lengthy procedure these days. So hence the new down platform and maybe return path to Didcot...

Makes little difference, it happens now at Oxford anyway.

At least the north and east services have bays to terminate in. However these may not be enough with East West Rail - upto 4tph? And Chiltern is it now 2tph? Additionally if the line to Cowley re-opens () then those bays won't necessarily be fully used if services are extended here.

Already flagged as a constraint, you can't do 6tph off E-W in the two bays with a single lead.