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

Friday 24 Jan 2025

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

Region & Route:: Wales & Western: Western [1]; | Wales & Western [2]

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

Network Rail has today announced a new timeline for the reopening of Botley Road in Oxford to enable the building of a new bridge as part of the multi-million-pound programme to upgrade Oxford station and improve transport links to the city. The new programme will see Botley Road reopen in August 2026, and vastly improved access for pedestrians and cyclists will be introduced this summer. This summer, a much-improved walkway - almost 4x the size of the old one - will open, giving much more space for pedestrians and cyclists to get into and out of the city as the rest of the project is completed.

A new upgraded flood defence system will also be installed, which includes a new concrete layer well below ground to keep out rising ground water and a new pumping system with huge retention tanks to deal with surface water. Network Rail has worked closely with its contactors and the Department for Transport to create a new programme for the Oxford Station Enhancement scheme, which takes into account feedback from residents, businesses and the local and county councils, whilst delivering the vital upgrades to the city's transport infrastructure. The rail minister, Lord Peter Hendy, Network Rail's chief executive Sir Andrew Haines and senior Network Rail representatives joined Oxford West and Abingdon MP Layla Moran at a public information event today (Friday 24th January) to outline the new plans and provide updates for the residents and businesses affected by this work.

Rail Minister Lord Hendy said: "The continuing works surrounding Botley Road are frustrating, and the delays are unacceptable, which is why I wanted to hear firsthand from all those affected. "I tasked Network Rail with producing a robust plan for its completion, which included additional measures to minimise and mitigate disruption as much as possible while still allowing this work to progress.

"I'm pleased they have acted and I can assure residents and businesses that there is light at the end of the tunnel." The project will deliver the necessary utility diversions, along with enhancements to Botley Road, the replacement of Sheepwash bridge to accommodate more rail services and the new platform 5, with a continued drive to identify cost efficiencies. Following feedback from residents and local businesses, Network Rail has put a range of measures in place to lessen the impact of the continued closure, including:

The Botley Flyer bus service, which now operates five days a week, will continue to provide accessible free transport to the city centre 24/7 security marshals are in place to patrol the pedestrian tunnel near to the closure, offering support to those who need it and to keep those using the tunnel safe

CCTV, lighting, signage and surfacing in the tunnel have been improved.

New lighting and CCTV have been provided for the temporary alleyway along Becket Street from Frideswide Square

Additional drop-off disabled bays have been provided on the western side of the station and a new travel assist point has been introduced for people with reduced mobility which will take them from the cabin to the station platform. Work to identify suitable potential locations for a taxi rank on the west side of the station continues

A new audio guide map, developed with OxTalk and MyVision, has been introduced to help people navigate the road closure

Banners and posters at Oxford station and the surrounding area are displayed to remind people that local businesses remain open. Promotional videos for businesses in the area will be produced and shared on Network Rail and Oxfordshire Connect social media channels.

Network Rail will continue working with local businesses to identify further mitigations

A bi-monthly roundtable will continue to take place chaired by the Federation of Small Businesses to provide updates to businesses on the project, take feedback from affected businesses and identify ways to further mitigate the impact of the work

Changes to traffic management have been made to reduce the impact of congestion

Regular updates on the work will continue to be provided via digital newsletter and Oxfordshire Connect Facebook page.

In addition, Network Rail has today launched a new feedback scheme, welcoming ideas and suggestions on further improvement measures which can be taken as work continues. Passengers, residents and members of the local community can email [email protected][3]. As well as improving transport links to the city, when complete, the work will enable more trains service to run, improve the station environment and deliver important improvements in accessibility with wide pedestrian paths and cycleways away from busy traffic.

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. Network Rail's Western route managing director Marcus Jones said: "We're extremely sorry for the impact the road closure is having on the people of Oxford.

"This is an incredibly complex project, involving multiple organisations, which has faced a number of significant challenges but we understand the anger and frustration the delays to this project have caused. "Our review has scrutinised every aspect of the programme, and with the utility diversions now well advanced, we're confident the revised plan is deliverable. "We already have a number of measures in place to lessen the impact of the closure as much as we can, and will continue to work with local authorities, stakeholders and communities to explore additional options.

We also appreciate this work is having an impact on local businesses and are looking at further ways we can help them." Councillor Susan Brown, leader of Oxford City Council said: "I understand and echo the further disappointment that today's announcement will bring to residents and businesses in West Oxford and Botley.

This has taken too long already. However, I welcome Lord Hendy's active involvement in driving things towards a resolution and his willingness to meet and hear from the people most affected. "The redevelopment of Oxford Station is essential and will bring real long-term benefits to the city.

Without it, proposals to reopen the Cowley Branch Line to passengers or increase the capacity on East-West rail services will not be feasible. "Now that we have renewed plans and a revised timeline, it is essential that we see real progress in the months ahead to rebuild public confidence in this important infrastructure development." A further public information event will be held at the West Oxford Community Association Centre on Botley Road on Wednesday 29th January for residents to find out more about the updated timeline and the status of the work.

Those planning to attend will be able to book their place on a session. Those affected by this work can subscribe to receive newsletters providing regular updates on the project here,[4] and by using the Oxfordshire Connect Facebook page.[5]

About Network Rail

We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track [6], 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts [7] and the thousands of signals [8], level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations [9] while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies [10].

Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway [11], so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan [12], to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.

References

^ Wales & Western: Western (www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk)
^ Wales & Western (www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk)
^ [email protected] (www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk)
^ here, (eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com)
^ Oxfordshire Connect Facebook page. (eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com)
^ track (www.networkrail.co.uk)
^ bridges, tunnels and viaducts (www.networkrail.co.uk)
^ signals (www.networkrail.co.uk)
^ stations (www.networkrail.co.uk)
^ train operating companies (www.networkrail.co.uk)
^ a safe and reliable railway (www.networkrail.co.uk)
^ multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan (www.networkrail.co.uk)
^ @networkrail (twitter.com)
^ http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/ (www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk)