Chiltern Oxford Link completed

[Andyjs247]

If it gets too big, will they have to rename it Bicester City? That's a good name for the station too.

Or, going on tourist perception and following the lead of the airports, 'London Bicester Village'...

And then perhaps Oxford Parkway should become 'London Oxford Airport Parkway' just to confuse everyone...

Seriously though "Bicester North" should stay as it is. It serves places to the North. If any station is going to be renamed to "Bicester Garden Town" it should be Bicester Town. In time "Town" station will become the main station serving more destinations and, as noted, it is already closer to the centre of the town. Renaming Bicester North will just create even more confusion. Differentiating between Village / town / city is bad enough as it is. The airport and retail park can brand themselves what they like; the railway is bigger and doesn't need to follow these marketing whims IMO.

Local councillors were keen to point out after the 'garden city' announcement that Bicester would be a garden town and there was no further increase in planned housing allocation up to 2026 beyond that already announced.

 

[67018]

And then perhaps Oxford Parkway should become 'London Oxford Airport Parkway' just to confuse everyone...

Seriously though "Bicester North" should stay as it is. It serves places to the North. If any station is going to be renamed to "Bicester Garden Town" it should be Bicester Town. In time "Town" station will become the main station serving more destinations and, as noted, it is already closer to the centre of the town. Renaming Bicester North will just create even more confusion. Differentiating between Village / town / city is bad enough as it is. The airport and retail park can brand themselves what they like; the railway is bigger and doesn't need to follow these marketing whims IMO.

Local councillors were keen to point out after the 'garden city' announcement that Bicester would be a garden town and there was no further increase in planned housing allocation up to 2026 beyond that already announced.

Oxford Parkway should be Kidlington Village just to please the pedants

Bicester North and Town are, practically speaking, equidistant from the town centre shopping area but you are right that Town will become much more prominent - even more so with the massive housing development planned that end of town, and if they could sort out the lousy road access it would probably be better used by people from the surrounding villages too.

There's no need to increase the planned housing allocation, given how large it already is - with another hefty load anticipated beyond then. How long are the platforms going to be at the Town station, and is there any provision to extend them? (And where do they get the stock if and when the trains fill up?).

 

[Andyjs247]

There was a public meeting yesterday hosted by Chiltern Railways. Lack of notice, too early in the evening for some (and it being half term) may have had a lot to do with it being poorly attended - I would have been there myself had there been more notice. That said "Bicester Town" or "Bicester South" seemed to be the best options. Calling the new station Bicester Village was not popular.

 

[jimm]

Oxford Parkway should be Kidlington Village just to please the pedants

Not sure there's anything pedantic in being of the view that it's not unreasonable to reflect the fact that a community of 17,000-plus people, which hasn't had easy access to the railway for 50 years, is on the doorstep of the station.

There was a public meeting yesterday hosted by Chiltern Railways. Lack of notice, too early in the evening for some (and it being half term) may have had a lot to do with it being poorly attended - I would have been there myself had there been more notice. That said "Bicester Town" or "Bicester South" seemed to be the best options. Calling the new station Bicester Village was not popular.

Hardly a surprise given the constant problems Bicester Village causes for the town, with years of traffic problems, especially during post-Christmas sales, but now with the added joy of Black Friday, which caused mayhem last November. Every time Bicester Village promises it will be better next time, but it just gets worse, hence the locals are hardly likely to welcome the idea of naming the station after the place, however appealing it may be to Chiltern's marketing people - though they will probably do it anyway, regardless of what anyone else thinks.

 

[swt_passenger]

Seems to me that as long as Chiltern's PIS displays and announcements at Marylebone are properly thought out, getting people onto the right trains for Bicester Village should easily be doable without a name change.

 

[Overload]

I agree. Bicester Village though is a law unto it's self.

It's rumoured among the locals that Bicester Village is giving "financial help" to Chiltern Railways for the Bicester redevelopment part and this could be their "recognition" for it.

I hope the name stays because Bicester is a town, not a sodding village!

 

[didcotdean]

All the councils' money put into the remodelling outside of Didcot Parkway didn't achieve the aim of local councillors to get the station renamed back to being just Didcot.

 

[67018]

Hardly a surprise given the constant problems Bicester Village causes for the town, with years of traffic problems, especially during post-Christmas sales, but now with the added joy of Black Friday, which caused mayhem last November. Every time Bicester Village promises it will be better next time, but it just gets worse, hence the locals are hardly likely to welcome the idea of naming the station after the place, however appealing it may be to Chiltern's marketing people - though they will probably do it anyway, regardless of what anyone else thinks.

Surely locals should welcome the railway, in this case, as the best chance of taking some of the traffic off the roads.

Traffic management seems to have worked better recently, with fewer complaints than usual after Christmas, and definitely better than Black Friday which looks like it took everyone by surprise.

Seems to me that as long as Chiltern's PIS displays and announcements at Marylebone are properly thought out, getting people onto the right trains for Bicester Village should easily be doable without a name change.

This already happens with prominent 'next train to Bicester Village' displays at Marylebone.

 

[L&Y Robert]

Surely locals should welcome the railway, in this case, as the best chance of taking some of the traffic off the roads.

Traffic management seems to have worked better recently, with fewer complaints than usual after Christmas, and definitely better than Black Friday which looks like it took everyone by surprise.



This already happens with prominent 'next train to Bicester Village' displays at Marylebone.

Having just read a thread about level crossings, waiting times etc. I wondered if said 'locals' realise that the London Road crossing will close 8 times per hour. It's right in the town, with a lot of houses on one side and the town centre on the other. I had to wait there one day whilst some kind of engineering train passed, and fell into conversation with a woman who was fretting about the delay. She had no idea about the number of trains that are planned for the line, commenting "Well they stop at the station just there, and then go back to Oxford. Don't they?"

 

[67018]

Having just read a thread about level crossings, waiting times etc. I wondered if said 'locals' realise that the London Road crossing will close 8 times per hour. It's right in the town, with a lot of houses on one side and the town centre on the other. I had to wait there one day whilst some kind of engineering train passed, and fell into conversation with a woman who was fretting about the delay. She had no idea about the number of trains that are planned for the line, commenting "Well they stop at the station just there, and then go back to Oxford. Don't they?"

Some do - there was a consultation meeting about level crossings a few months ago, although even the people who are clued up get confused between what's happening this year and what changes when the full East-West route opens in 2019.

Replacing the crossing has, I believe, been investigated but there doesn't seem to be a viable option without a major reconstruction of the surrounding area. Expect some complaints come September.

 

[aylesbury]

Always thought renaming Oxford Airport London Oxford was a bit optimistic as its only used by private flights and the training school. An attempt at a scheduled service was tried by someone but it did not last to long. Bicester Village is not really for locals its for foreign tourists mostly Chinese. How are the complaints about the blue footbridge coming along?

 

[midlandred]

from January 2014 - council granted money for a bridge

 

[67018]

from January 2014 - council granted money for a bridge

Trouble is, even if the money is available, there isn't a design at the moment that doesn't involve sticking a huge embankment outside people's front windows.

This seems to be the latest position (from Oxfordshire CC, Jan 2015 https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/news/2015/jan/county-council-sets-out-long-term-transport-plan)

Working closely with the rail industry and the Department for Transportation to develop a solution to the likely restrictions affecting the London Road as a result of the East West Rail project.
At London Road careful consideration will be given to the reduced accessibility into the town centre resulting from an increased frequency of rail services across London Road level crossing. A solution is required for motorised vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists where the rail line crosses the road network, as the current proposals will mean that rail traffic inhibits this key corridor connecting to the town centre. This will have a significant negative highway and economic impact and also has the potential to slow the delivery of development sites south of the rail line due to reduced access to the town centre.

Potentially, alternative provision might have to be made elsewhere. Either way, it's a few years away.

A new all-modes road bridge across the railway (or road underpass plus pedestrian overbridge) at London Road. Alternatively a new link road from the A41 overbridge to London Road (and pedestrian overbridge) or a new link road from Charbridge Road to Launton Road (plus pedestrian overbridge).

 

[Overload]

Although the council has been told there is money available for a bridge, No decision has been taken yet.

Personally I wouldn't want the bridge to be built. Too many residential and business buildings close by.

Instead, road signage should be put up to advise motorists of heavy rail traffic and seek alternative routes to their destination.

The charbridge lane crossing is the more likely candidate for a new bridge in future once the East-West project is up and running, I reckon.

 

[Andyjs247]

Trouble is, even if the money is available, there isn't a design at the moment that doesn't involve sticking a huge embankment outside people's front windows.

Or possibly digging a large hole beneath the water table to make an underpass - I don't think anything has been ruled in or out yet.

This seems to be the latest position (from Oxfordshire CC, Jan 2015 https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/news/2015/jan/county-council-sets-out-long-term-transport-plan)


Potentially, alternative provision might have to be made elsewhere. Either way, it's a few years away.

Interesting. I also think that provision would probably have to be made elsewhere. Even if it is only a temporary solution doing so may be necessary to facilitate replacement of the London Road crossing.

For the sake of argument, lets assume an overbridge or underpass at London Road roughly on the existing alignment is feasible. Even just doing the work will be hugely disruptive. The town grinds to a halt when there has been work necessitating closure of the London Road crossing and a diversion via either the A41 or the A4421 at Charbridge Lane in recent months. Especially at peak times. Traffic in Bicester is bad enough with all the various developments going on around the town as it is, and is only going to get worse.

Personally I wouldn't want the bridge to be built. Too many residential and business buildings close by.

Instead, road signage should be put up to advise motorists of heavy rail traffic and seek alternative routes to their destination.

The charbridge lane crossing is the more likely candidate for a new bridge in future once the East-West project is up and running, I reckon.

Charbridge Lane crossing will get replaced with a bridge as part of EWR but there does need to be a solution at London Road also. I'm sure doing nothing will prove unacceptable - it won't be that long before 10 trains a week becomes 10 or more trains an hour across the London Road - don't forget potential freight and XC as well. It's certainly not going to be easy (or cheap) to solve.

If not at London Road, there needs to be some other road bridge between Charbridge Lane and the A41. Where else then? The best solution IMO would have been a bridge to link Gavray Drive to Launton Road. As it is Gavray Drive is a bit of a road to nowhere - shame a bridge never got built as I'm not sure you could squeeze it in between Aldi and Wickes now. I might be wrong. Or it might be possible to squeeze a road from London Road around the back of the Talisman industrial estate between the A41 and Town station to link up with Chapel Street or London Road on the north side of the line. Chapel Street was historically the main way into town from the south though I can't imagine that being too popular with residents now.

 

[CyrusWuff]

Looking at the September timetable on OpenTrainTimes, the initial schedule appears to have been planned so that trains cross at Bicester Town, meaning London Road crossing should only close twice an hour most of the time.

 

[aylesbury2]

I agree. Bicester Village though is a law unto it's self.

It's rumoured among the locals that Bicester Village is giving "financial help" to Chiltern Railways for the Bicester redevelopment part and this could be their "recognition" for it.

I hope the name stays because Bicester is a town, not a sodding village!

There is an article about the potential renaming in today's Oxford Mail. It gives the perspective of a Chiltern director. Perhaps unsurprisingly, there is a vote on the page asking readers to choose either Bicester Village or Bicester Town. At the moment, it's 73:27 in favour of Bicester Town.

http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/11..._comes_to_naming_Bicester_s_revamped_station/

 

[67018]

Or possibly digging a large hole beneath the water table to make an underpass - I don't think anything has been ruled in or out yet.

'A large hole beneath the water table' - that sounds like a 'lake' to me. Access to the Town centre by frequent boat shuttle only...

Charbridge Lane does look like a done deal though - there's an adjacent area of allotments that can be moved to make way for a new road alignment and a bridge.

There is an article about the potential renaming in today's Oxford Mail. It gives the perspective of a Chiltern director. Perhaps unsurprisingly, there is a vote on the page asking readers to choose either Bicester Village or Bicester Town. At the moment, it's 73:27 in favour of Bicester Town.

http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/11..._comes_to_naming_Bicester_s_revamped_station/

The perfect suggestion for the new name is in the comments section on that article - 'Beijing West'!

 

[Andyjs247]

'A large hole beneath the water table' - that sounds like a 'lake' to me. Access to the Town centre by frequent boat shuttle only…

Aesthetically I know which I'd prefer if it came to a choice between bridge or underpass and I was one of the ones living in London Road directly affected by a monster embankment outside my front window. For construction below the water table you'd need tanking and pumps available. It is not that difficult.

Charbridge Lane does look like a done deal though - there's an adjacent area of allotments that can be moved to make way for a new road alignment and a bridge.

The preferred alignment was through the allotments but I really don't think it is necessary. There is enough space surely to avoid the allotments and the aggro that will inevitably kick off by going through them.

 

[Buttsy]

It would seem to me that the cheapest way around the London Road crossing is to close the road and build a bridge at the end of Gavray Drive to give access from the East. Alternatively, keep the crossing open (so locals can decide whether to wait at the crossing or use an alternative route) but still build the bridge at Gavray Drive and signpost the way into the town via Gavray Drive.

 

[Altnabreac]

From today's Oxford Mail
The voting when I posted was 68% for Bicester Town against 32% for Bicester Village

I can see why Chiltern aren't keen on using Bicester Town for Bicester Village as that sounds silly.

I can also see why locals aren't keen on their whole town being ignored in favour of one particular commercial enterprise.

However a reasonable compromise would seem to be the Bicester South suggestion from members of the public at Chiltern's meeting.

Bicester South for Bicester Village looks much better on a PIS and signage etc but still does the job of directing tourists to the shopping centre.

 

[davetheguard]

I can see why Chiltern aren't keen on using Bicester Town for Bicester Village as that sounds silly.

I can also see why locals aren't keen on their whole town being ignored in favour of one particular commercial enterprise.

However a reasonable compromise would seem to be the Bicester South suggestion from members of the public at Chiltern's meeting.

Bicester South for Bicester Village looks much better on a PIS and signage etc but still does the job of directing tourists to the shopping centre.

Bicester South for Bicester Village gets my vote.

 

[Andyjs247]

Bicester Town for me. However, they can put what they like in Chinese / Japanese / Arabic - doesn't necessarily need to be an exact translation of English. So it can be both Bicester Town and Bicester Village simultaneously.

 

[L&Y Robert]

Looking at the September timetable on OpenTrainTimes, the initial schedule appears to have been planned so that trains cross at Bicester Town, meaning London Road crossing should only close twice an hour most of the time.

Well, let's think that through. So Oxford train coming, barriers down. I'm waiting now, and after the alotted time the train clatters past and comes to a stop in Bicester SOUTH (?) station. But wait! There's the London train creeping into the other platform, then people getting off, people getting on. The trains cross here, you see, but with a second train coming - well, standing in the station (it's right there just by the crossing) barriers remain down and I'm still waiting. In the fullness of time the London revs up and trundles across the crossing, and then the barriers lift. Phew! I've been here five minutes!

Or variations on that theme. Timing the trains only reduces waiting time if the two trains actually cross ON the - er - crossing, and it won't happen often.

 

[midlandred]

This is what it used to say!

 

[RPM]

Bicester South for Bicester Village gets my vote.

Certainly better than just Bicester Village but my personal preference would be Bicester London Road for Bicester Village, even if it is slightly more of a mouthful.

 

[CarltonA]

Certainly better than just Bicester Village but my personal preference would be Bicester London Road for Bicester Village, even if it is slightly more of a mouthful.

I'm with you on that RPM. They could reproduce the 1967 sign shown in the link for good measure.
http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/b/bicester_london_road/index.shtml

 

[CyrusWuff]

Well, let's think that through. So Oxford train coming, barriers down. I'm waiting now, and after the alotted time the train clatters past and comes to a stop in Bicester SOUTH (?) station. But wait! There's the London train creeping into the other platform, then people getting off, people getting on. The trains cross here, you see, but with a second train coming - well, standing in the station (it's right there just by the crossing) barriers remain down and I'm still waiting. In the fullness of time the London revs up and trundles across the crossing, and then the barriers lift. Phew! I've been here five minutes!

Having just looked at the timings again, you're right...Oxford bound train has a WTT arrival of 11:53 and departure at 11:54; London bound train at 11:55 and 11:56. D'oh.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

There could be a signal and an associated train ready to start button between the platform and the level crossing, no?

 

[The Planner]

I think there is, there was certainly some discussion in the timing of the trains that the running time needed to incorporate arriving on a red.