Oxford Corridor Phase 2 & Platform 5 updates

[Meerkat]

One lesson from the Nuneham Viaduct 9-week emergency blockade 3 April - 9 June 2023 was that if it really is as urgent as claimed then a blockade could be arranged with a timeframe shorter than the 18-months quoted.

Nuneham affected the train operators - it was in their interest to get it fixed.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

CPPP at 26 weeks for lower compensation from what I have been told. Putting blocks in at 12 weeks out will upset people considerably.

Yes but the rail industry hasn't endeared itself locally so if they can accelerate the closure they should. Its called doing the right thing and not being hidebound by bureaucracy.

 

[The Planner]

Yes but the rail industry hasn't endeared itself locally so if they can accelerate the closure they should. Its called doing the right thing and not being hidebound by bureaucracy.

And if phone calls between the right people happen then process can often be sidelined.

 

[MatthewHutton]

Completion of Botley Road works is at least 17 months away, as per industry documents that were sent to the Oxford Clarion.

Botley Road could remain closed until June 2026

Rail industry documents passed to the Oxford Clarion show that the Government will need to overrule Network Rail if the Botley Road work is to finish before June 2026. The road was originally closed in April 2023, and was set to reopen in October 2024. But the discovery of a

oxfordclarion.uk

17 months away from today. Jesus christ.

Yes but the rail industry hasn't endeared itself locally so if they can accelerate the closure they should. Its called doing the right thing and not being hidebound by bureaucracy.

Given how delayed it has been they need to get on with it. If that means an emergency closure that means an emergency closure. Annoying yes - but difficult to see you could do otherwise.

 

[fishwomp]

Completion of Botley Road works is at least 17 months away, as per industry documents that were sent to the Oxford Clarion.

Botley Road could remain closed until June 2026

Rail industry documents passed to the Oxford Clarion show that the Government will need to overrule Network Rail if the Botley Road work is to finish before June 2026. The road was originally closed in April 2023, and was set to reopen in October 2024. But the discovery of a

oxfordclarion.uk

This reads like a lot of speculation - inferring that nothing is planned to reopen until everything is complete, ''snagging'' and all.. or that absence from the current list of planned closures means the final date is 21+ months away. Both of these offer a wonderful opportunity for, say, a visiting politician or industry figurehead to visit next week and look like they have done something about it.

It'd be hard to include bridge deck closure date in a plan when they didn't know when Thames Water would get into gear.. and even at 12 weeks notice of timetable changes it means it could be added by mid summer this year - the change is best made _when_ they have certainty.

 

[Doctor Fegg]

Now announced as August 2026: https://oxfordclarion.uk/clarion-weekly-24-january-2025/

The Botley Road rail bridge will remain closed for another 18 months. Network Rail announced an August 2026 completion date this morning (Friday) at a meeting with rail minister Lord Peter Hendy and Oxford West & Abingdon MP Layla Moran.

But there’s some good news for walkers and cyclists – an improved walkway, four times wider than the original, will open in summer 2025 to fix the current cramped conditions for those walking under the bridge.

 

[Edvid]

Within today's presser, NR highlight the Victorian brick arch and water/sewer mains issues.

Network Rail announces updated timeline for reopening of Botley Road in Oxford

A new robust plan with end-date now completed Much improved pedestrian access to be provided by the summer Network Rail to look at further help for businesses

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

Upon work beginning at the site, two major obstacles were uncovered. The first was the Victorian brick arch, which was three times larger in size than historical records and ground investigations showed, and was more critical to the structure of Botley Road and the flood defence system than expected.

The second was the proximity of sewerage to clean water, which meant it wasn’t possible to work on both at the same time as initially planned. Thames Water have now found a satisfactory solution to diverting the water supply and the main sewer, which has been built into the new scheme and programme.

A recent Oxfordshire Connect post on Facebook shows how close the existing mains are to each other.

Oxfordshire Connect

‍♂️Thames Water are continuing to work on the new water main pipe under the rail bridge. ️With the new pipe installed under the road, running from near junction of Becket Street on eastern side to...

www.facebook.com

 

[Gagravarr]

News on the railway blockade are included in today's Oxfordshire Connect newsletter

Close the railway for nine days in early 2026 to put the new railway bridge in and push in the new walkway/cycleway on the car park side, both of which will have been built off site.

 

[Oxfordblues]

This is good news inasmuch as a 9-day blockade is planned for "early-2026", crucially well short of the usual planning timescale and it'll be good to have a proper pedestrian/cyclist box on the north side to replace the "tunnel of doom" which causes so many altercation, especially with motorcycles. Ideally GWR would reopen the exit off Platform 4 to reduce tunnel use, but I imagine their revenue-protection people have blocked such a move.

 

[fishwomp]

Ideally GWR would reopen the exit off Platform 4 to reduce tunnel use, but I imagine their revenue-protection people have blocked such a move.

I wondered why that hadn't been thought of - but perhaps they end up with passengers in the middle of their building site at some phase, so it just goes in the 'too hard' bucket.

It'd be quite handy if they built a portable set of ticket gates: a container they could plonk at the next station they want to rebuild some entrance hall to.. , or the next big sport event where the normal turnstile won't cope etc

 

[W-on-Sea]

I'm not even sure revenue protection concerns are the main reason the western exit remains closed: the whole area is a bit of a mess, and has been since the youth hostel was demolished, with buses turning there and the exact access arrangements changing week by week. That whole area doesn't really seem very safe for a large number of pedestrians in its current state.

 

[Nicholas43]

Announced in November 2024 that GWR customer assistance staff will, by arrangement, let you out, or in, on the west side.

We continue to encourage all passengers and those with reduced mobility to access the station from the East side via the main station entrance if possible, as station staff are available to help during station opening hours.

However, it's recognised that for some the ability to get to the East remains challenging due to the ongoing road works affecting access to the station entrance. In exceptional circumstances such as this and during dedicated times, GWR will be providing passenger assistance from the west side of the station.

This will be reachable via a signposted vehicular drop off and pick up point on Roger Dudman Way. Please allow a minimum of 30-40 minutes for assistance from this side to enable staff to get you to the train on time. Operating times for this service will be 7:30am – 9pm Monday to Friday, and 8am – 9pm on Saturday and Sunday

 

[Edvid]

Today's Oxfordshire Connect newsletter outlines the remaining steps required to bring Botley Road back into use. Here they are (aside from the aforementioned early-2026 blockade, as step iv) ):

i) Thames Water’s installation of a new sewer is underway, this work will be completed in July 2025, following which they will create the new mains water supply.

ii) At the same time, we’ll be creating new walkway/cycleway on the station side of the road. Noting the impact of the existing tunnel, we have changed the programme so that this new walkway/cycleway can be opened ahead of the wider works. This will be four metres wide, replacing the hated current tunnel – which is only 1.2 metres wide. This will be opening in August 2025 – it won’t be fully finished, but we’re getting it open as soon as possible.

iii) Demolish the old bridge support and existing tunnel on the car park side.

[...]

v) Then crucially rebuild the road, but this won’t be a case of just pouring some tarmac. We’ll be replacing the Victorian brick arch with a new flood prevention system and highway/railway support – a huge piece of engineering that needs installing below Botley Road. This will be supported by new water tanks under where the bus turning circle is currently and a brand new pumping system. This will greatly reduce the ingress of ground water, and have much greater capacity to manage surface water.

 

[LUYMun]

ITV Meridian tonight showed protests outside Oxford station this afternoon coinciding with Lord Hendy’s visit.

 

[Nicholas43]

Can any forum member elucidate the steps required to insert the square-box concrete tunnel under the tracks, on the station side of the road?
1. Drive in the pile supports for the tunnel, clear of both sides of the tracks: this has been announced as planned-for soon.
2. ??? excavate space for the tunnel to go into, without undermining the tracks, and ? while leaving (part of?) the existing abutment in place?
3. Slide tunnel under tracks - ? during some (short?) blockade of trains?
4. Check that the tracks are now securely resting on the tunnel, which is securely resting on the piles, and do whatever is needed to remove the remains of the now somewhat mangled former abutment?

 

[stuving]

My understanding (based on a quick scan of this PWI lecture, first linked upthread) is that the northern box abutment slots in under the current bridge, so it can go in once the pile caps are done. They even intend the walking/cycling path to be routed through it, while work is proceeding.

However, the southern box abutment needs the embankment moved out of the way before it can go in. Once that's been done the abutment (cast on site) drops into place with stitching added, which is fairly quick. So you might as well slap the deck in place during the same blockade, while you are also filling in the gap in the embankment. The old southern abutment can be flattened while the embankment is being dug out; none of that has to create a load-bearing surface, nor does what's in the new road space have to be taken right down initially.

 

[swt_passenger]

My understanding (based on a quick scan of this PWI lecture, first linked upthread) is that the northern box abutment slots in under the current bridge, so it can go in once the pile caps are done. They even intend the walking/cycling path to be routed through it, while work is proceeding.

However, the southern box abutment needs the embankment moved out of the way before it can go in. Once that's been done the abutment (cast on site) drops into place with stitching added, which is fairly quick. So you might as well slap the deck in place during the same blockade, while you are also filling in the gap in the embankment. The old southern abutment can be flattened while the embankment is being dug out; none of that has to create a load-bearing surface, nor does what's in the new road space have to be taken right down initially.

There’s a useful note on the drawing in the PWI presentation (on screen at 30 mins) that states the north side abutment is retained. Everything therefore expands to the south. A key point, (as I understand it), on the drawing is that the new west bound carriageway is centred roughly on the existing footpath in its subway, allowing the eastbound road carriageway to be where the westbound is now.

 

[hwl]

My understanding (based on a quick scan of this PWI lecture, first linked upthread) is that the northern box abutment slots in under the current bridge, so it can go in once the pile caps are done. They even intend the walking/cycling path to be routed through it, while work is proceeding.

However, the southern box abutment needs the embankment moved out of the way before it can go in. Once that's been done the abutment (cast on site) drops into place with stitching added, which is fairly quick. So you might as well slap the deck in place during the same blockade, while you are also filling in the gap in the embankment. The old southern abutment can be flattened while the embankment is being dug out; none of that has to create a load-bearing surface, nor does what's in the new road space have to be taken right down initially.

That was my view of the presentation too.

Looking eastbound.

Green = the existing bridge.
Bright red = new structural,
Pink = track, ballast, cable duct
Purple = new bridge parapet and end state utilities.

Existing abutment is the second vertical rectangle from the left.



.

 

[Nicholas43]

Thanks so much, stuving, swt_passenger, and hwl. Now I understand!

 

[hwl]

Thanks so much, stuving, swt_passenger, and hwl. Now I understand!

Hence as soon as piling on the north side of Botley road happens, it is by bye to road reopening to traffic unless narrow single file.

What is interesting though is that the south square pedestrian tube /bridge deck base is sufficiently clear of the bridge and has plain line above so there might be some logic in getting it in over a weekend/ BH weekend before the main blockade.

 

[Edvid]

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, here's a list of target dates as extracted from the latest newsletter (dated 14 February 2025). Because we all love a good set of project milestones, don't we?

 

[Palmerston]

At this rate they'll open HS2 first

 

[hwl]

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, here's a list of target dates as extracted from the latest newsletter (dated 14 February 2025). Because we all love a good set of project milestones, don't we?

Looks like main rail blockade in December '25 / Jan or Feb '26 then.

 

[BlueLeanie]

Local radio is reporting that no start will be made to Platform Five work at Oxford, or that new station entrance until the Botley Bridge works are complete in 2026.

 

[rower40]

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, here's a list of target dates as extracted from the latest newsletter (dated 14 February 2025). Because we all love a good set of project milestones, don't we?

As Douglas Adams said: "I love deadlines; I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by."

 

[Edvid]

Local radio is reporting that no start will be made to Platform Five work at Oxford, or that new station entrance until the Botley Bridge works are complete in 2026.

Network Rail admit as much in what is a comprehensive FAQ document, which is worth a read for anyone who wishes to examine their side of the story.

Q4.7. What about the other elements of the scheme, new platform 5 and Western Entrance?
• We are focusing on reopening of Botley Road as the priority, as requested by DfT. Design and planning works will continue on Sheepwash bridge, the new platform 5 and Western entrance but most of the construction work for those elements will be rephased to start following the completion of Botley road.

Q5.3. Have you got the extra money you need to complete these works?
• The original funding for the scheme is predominantly funded by UK Government via the Department for Transport with a £10.5m contribution from the Oxford Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP) which was provided to support the active travel and bus clearance enhancements to Botley Road.
• A request for a first phase of additional funding required to prioritise the re-opening Botley Road project has been approved.
• Funding associated with Sheepwash, Platform 5 and the western entrance will be sought following the completion of additional design and assurance reviews to ensure that these works are designed to deliver the best value for the taxpayer.

In terms of progress to date, piling for the northern box culvert is now done.

We’ve completed work to install

40 metre long concrete piles in ground below rail bridge.
This has involved…

metres of drilling

tonnes of steel installed

crane lifts

cubic metres of concrete

These piles will support the new walkway that will be installed on northern side of the bridge. The next stage of work will be to install the drainage system for the walkway.

 

[bnc2018]

That FAQ is pleasingly quite open and honest, but it's very disappointing that it implies that all of the original budget won't even cover the bridge replacement, let alone the new platform and entrance like it was supposed to.

Having said that, given how badly wrong everything has gone, it's not surprising the budget has been completely blown

 

[BlueLeanie]

Oxford City Council has published a video about the reopening of the BMW line to passenger services (all contingent on this work being completed).

(Wouldn't Network Rail normally have sent someone along for filming on a live line?)

 

[sjoh]

On a practical note, is anyone able to explain how they plan to use platform 5? I.e. to terminate services from the south before they turn in the sidings? or will platform 5 be the main "through" platform with 4 being used to terminate and restart services going south again?

 

[swt_passenger]

On a practical note, is anyone able to explain how they plan to use platform 5? I.e. to terminate services from the south before they turn in the sidings? or will platform 5 be the main "through" platform with 4 being used to terminate and restart services going south again?

Platform 5 will be the main through line, as you already realise it allows trains to reverse south again without going into the sidings, and without crossing conflicts.

But there are also track diagrams somewhere in this thread that make this clear from the respective line speeds.
Please see page 5 of the pdf linked in post #62