Statement in response to Network Rail’s announcement about Botley Road

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Oxford,

11 July

2024 |

10:22 Europe/London

Botley Road 11 July 2024 Oxfordshire County Council is extremely frustrated that Network Rail is postponing the replacement of Botley railway bridge at the end of this month and is unable to reopen Botley Road in October as a result.

The council is in discussion with Network Rail to understand the implications of this.[1] Residents and businesses have shown incredible patience with more than a year of disruption to their lives because of this project, which has already had its timetable altered twice before and seen its closure dates extended. We have expressed our deep dissatisfaction to Network Rail and to the Department for Transport about this.

The launch of the council’s traffic filters trial planned to start in November is now in question, with various options being considered as a result. The trial aims to tackle Oxford’s chronic congestion problems and dramatically improve bus journey times. We are calling on and working with Network Rail to find an acceptable solution to this situation quickly.

The council remains incredibly supportive of improvements to the rail station for Oxford with improved capacity for passengers and freight, which is vital for the development of projects such as East West Rail.

In the meantime, we will continue to do all we can to work with partners to minimise the impact on the rest of the road network.

References

1. ^ Network Rail is postponing the replacement of Botley railway bridge (www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk)