Nuneham Viaduct: Travel advice & updates

[Jimini]

Two updates from me from today:

1) ticket accepted at the barriers at Paddington on the way back, which surprised me somewhat.

2) Euston gateline staff said (and I quote verbatim): "valid via Reading all ok, cheers"! They rightly get bad PR on a regular basis, but fair play on the ticket acceptance front in this instance.

 

[W-on-Sea]

Early on Saturday afternoon I used the RRB from Oxford to Didcot. It took some time for me to realise where it was departing from in Oxford (Becket Street car park, south of Botley Road - directional signposting was fine en route, with plenty of staff giving guidance there too, but the location could have been more clearly stated at the station itself) but otherwise completely trouble-free. Despite some minor traffic congestion in Oxford, the journey to Didcot took only 25 minutes instead of the scheduled 45, so was able to catch an earlier connecting train onto Paddington.

 

[birchesgreen]

but the location could have been more clearly stated at the station itself)

Yes i know what you mean, there are some A-boards but easily blocked by waiting buses.

 

[BanburyBlue]

As of Monday 10th of April 2023 Crosscounty will be reducing their timetable to 1 train every 2 hours in each direction between Oxford and Birmingham.

why are they doing this - it leaves massive gaps in the timetable.

 

[30907]

why are they doing this - it leaves massive gaps in the timetable.

I posted elsewhere

my guess is that someone somewhere has refused to sanction the additional traincrew hours that would be required for a better timetable (the diagrams have been messed up by the split).

https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...to-nuneham-viaduct-works.247295/#post-6180858
and no-one has come up with anything better

 

[Mathew S]

From 2nd May GWR will start running shuttles between Oxford and Radley, and between Didcot and Culham. It will be pilotman working at both ends, using the down line to and from Radley, and the up line to and from Culham. Trains will not be able to call at Appleford in the Culham direction, due to the platform being on the offside and no DOO equipment fitted, but will be able to call in the Didcot direction.

Just wondering if anyone has any info they can share about how this service will work (frequency, etc.)?

 

[Falcon1200]

Experiences recently:
Yesterday, 10th May, Rail Replacement bus (RRB) from Didcot to Oxford. Seemed very well organised with a bus running every 10 minutes and staff at Didcot to assist and direct passengers. The 1520 bus took only 27 minutes to Oxford, which given the crawl from Didcot station to the A34, and then along the Abingdon Road into Oxford, was pretty good. Surprisingly, tickets of alighting passengers were checked at Oxford, first time I have ever seen this on an RRB.
Today, 11th May, 0906 Oxford-Marylebone Chiltern train. Train ran on time, was busy but with nobody standing, in my coach at least.

 

[Kite159]

Experiences recently:
Yesterday, 10th May, Rail Replacement bus (RRB) from Didcot to Oxford. Seemed very well organised with a bus running every 10 minutes and staff at Didcot to assist and direct passengers. The 1520 bus took only 27 minutes to Oxford, which given the crawl from Didcot station to the A34, and then along the Abingdon Road into Oxford, was pretty good. Surprisingly, tickets of alighting passengers were checked at Oxford, first time I have ever seen this on an RRB.
Today, 11th May, 0906 Oxford-Marylebone Chiltern train. Train ran on time, was busy but with nobody standing, in my coach at least.

Makes sense in a way to check tickets for passengers on RRBs, just to catch out those who think it's a free bus.

Still quite rare, I've only had it done a couple of times on Northern replacement buses and witnessed it a few weeks ago at Chafford Hundred for a replacement bus towards Grays + Tilbury