Oxford Station

What is with the Chiltern "extension" to Oxford Station, with what looks like to be a new entrance area.

I thought the whole station is due to be demolshed and rebuilt at some point, with more though lines, a new concourse and passenger facilities.

Surely this Chiltern extension to Oxford will get demolished, along with the rest, when the rebuild finally happens?

Therefore what was the point of this multi-million expense if it is likely only to be in use for the short/medium term.

Mark J said:

What is with the Chiltern "extension" to Oxford Station, with what looks like to be a new entrance area.

I thought the whole station is due to be demolshed and rebuilt at some point, with more though lines, a new concourse and passenger facilities.

Surely this Chiltern extension to Oxford will get demolished, along with the rest, when the rebuild finally happens?

Therefore what was the point of this multi-million expense if it is likely only to be in use for the short/medium term.

Click to expand...

The new entrance is a recent decision, in the planning stage it was described as a future option, I’d assume they quickly found that following a Chiltern arrival there was a relatively large additional flow via P3 and the main entrance, and a separate entrance avoids that. There was going to be an emergency and staff gate at that location anyway, so the additional costs are really the gateline and staff.

Previously discussed in this post and onwards in a thread about Oxford area Infrastructure changes:
https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...cture-improvements.155460/page-5#post-3759852

swt_passenger said:

The new entrance is a recent decision, in the planning stage it was described as a future option, I’d assume they quickly found that following a Chiltern arrival there was a relatively large additional flow via P3 and the main entrance, and a separate entrance avoids that. There was going to be an emergency and staff gate at that location anyway, so the additional costs are really the gateline and staff.

Click to expand...

However, one of the points I was trying to make is surely the whole of this new "extension" is likely to be pulled down, when the rest of the station is eventually rebuilt.

Mark J said:

However one of the points I was trying to make is surely the whole of this new "extension" is likely to be pulled down when the rest of the station is eventually rebuilt.

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I don’t think that’s unusual. Safety of present passenger flows is probably a higher priority. It could easily have a life of 5 to 10 years.

Mark J said:

What is with the Chiltern "extension" to Oxford Station, with what looks like to be a new entrance area.

I thought the whole station is due to be demolshed and rebuilt at some point, with more though lines, a new concourse and passenger facilities.

Surely this Chiltern extension to Oxford will get demolished, along with the rest, when the rebuild finally happens?

Therefore what was the point of this multi-million expense if it is likely only to be in use for the short/medium term.

Click to expand...

A new station building is unfunded hence better to get on with short term measures needed to sort out pedestrian flows as a major rebuild may never happen. Operationally a station rebuild could be culled down to a minimum of the bridge rebuild and a new up platform (P5) without doing the station building...

hwl said:

A new station building is unfunded hence better to get on with short term measures needed to sort out pedestrian flows as a major rebuild may never happen. Operationally a station rebuild could be culled down to a minimum of the bridge rebuild and a new up platform (P5) without doing the station building...

Click to expand...

Plenty of designs exist though...







Whatever happens, it is clear that the existing two through platform set-up isn't fit for purpose any longer - with the problem getting worse. Especially the amount of traffic those two through platforms have to deal with.

With electrification eventually coming to Oxford, surely it would make more sense in terms of time, money and convenience to get a new station in place; Rather than laying electrics, only for expensive and inconvenient re-jigging to occur afterwards.

As a side note: The Oxford Preservation Trust is trying to get the disused Rewley Road Swingbridge back in working order. It will be passed from NR to OPT control. The work is expected to cost in the region of £70,000...

Mark J said:

...With electrification eventually coming to Oxford, surely it would make more sense in terms of time, money and convenience to get a new station in place; Rather than laying electrics, only for expensive and inconvenient re-jigging to occur afterwards.

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The track and signalling has already been changed and reportedly already allows for the future intended expansion of through platform numbers, and the station could be electrified now if funds were released. But we’re duplicating existing discussions now...

Mark J said:

Plenty of designs exist though...

Whatever happens, it is clear that the existing two through platform set-up isn't fit for purpose any longer - with the problem getting worse. Especially the amount of traffic those two through platforms have to deal with.

With electrification eventually coming to Oxford, surely it would make more sense in terms of time, money and convenience to get a new station in place; Rather than laying electrics, only for expensive and inconvenient re-jigging to occur afterwards.

As a side note: The Oxford Preservation Trust is trying to get the disused Rewley Road Swingbridge back in working order. It will be passed from NR to OPT control. The work is expected to cost in the region of £70,000...

Click to expand...

Agree there are plenty of designs but an equal lack of funding...
The new track layout and signalling post last years re-signalling is future proof so can be electrified without major rejigging needed the only change is effectively adding another track all the rear face of P4 to create P5 and rebuilding the bridge (inc YHA demolition). All carefully designed! Hence no need to sort the station building first.

Indeed, initial work on the through bi-directional Platform 5 continues. I believe part of the YHA building needs to be demolished, a new bridge deck installed south of the station, and Roger Dudman Way being combined with Cripley Road with IIRC the possibility a couple of houses would need compulsory purchase and demolition. Hopefully that can be done in the next couple of years before major station rebuilding works are likely to start.

Further into the future, if the new station building is funded and built, much of it is likely to be largely over the existing tracks as you can see in the images posted below. That would enable platform 2 to be extended and tunred into a through platform as well giving five through platforms and one north facing bay platform (the current platform 1).

That's all still many years away, and much of that can be done without too much in the way of alterations to the existing layout, but as and when the new gateline opens it will mean the large numbers of people using the station don't all have to go through one gateline and can bypass the crowded concourse and south end of platform 3.

Some basic passenger facilities are pretty dire at Oxford station. The men's toilets aren't great but the women's are clearly inadequate, with a long queue far into the concourse at many times of the day. Yes there are some more beyond the barrier but that doesn't really help. Improvement to these really shouldn't wait for a new station building.

Mark J said:

As a side note: The Oxford Preservation Trust is trying to get the disused Rewley Road Swingbridge back in working order. It will be passed from NR to OPT control. The work is expected to cost in the region of £70,000...

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Oh for goodness sake.

Lift the bridge out and send it to be preserved somewhere off site.

Why it hasn't "gone up in flames" escapes me. It's been a blight for at least 25 years and is a severe limitation to the station throat.

Mark J said:

What is with the Chiltern "extension" to Oxford Station, with what looks like to be a new entrance area.

I thought the whole station is due to be demolshed and rebuilt at some point, with more though lines, a new concourse and passenger facilities.

Surely this Chiltern extension to Oxford will get demolished, along with the rest, when the rebuild finally happens?

Therefore what was the point of this multi-million expense if it is likely only to be in use for the short/medium term.

Click to expand...

I'm having to guess a bit about what you are referring to here - the whole area currently used by Chiltern, including the platforms and canopies? Or just the current work to provide an additional gateline next to the bufferstops of those platforms, so passengers don't all need to go through the station concourse to get to and from trains.

If you just mean the gateline, it isn't costing multi-millions and improves staton facilities for the period while it is decided exactly what shape the new station should take, the associated development around it and how the whole lot is going to be paid for.

If you mean the whole lot, platforms and canopies included, these were designed from day one with any future rebuild of the station in mind. They were deliberately located in the right place to form the north ends of two new platforms, with one or both of them being through platforms that would run through the site of the existing station building.

This page on the city council website includes a plan showing the intended future arrangement - the four tracks through the centre of the station are the four through the existing station, with the extra platforms being provided on either side.

https://www.oxford.gov.uk/info/20182/regeneration_and_development/949/oxford_station_masterplan