250m GB pound investment will bring much faster rail journeys to Chiltern passengers
The first new rail route in a century between London and Oxfordshire is being funded by Network Rail
Network Rail is funding a £250m project to create a new main line from London to Oxfordshire - the first new rail link from London to a major British city since 1910 - which will deliver much faster services on the Chiltern route to Banbury and Birmingham. Designed explicitly to take cars off the road, the centrepiece of the Oxford link will be Water Eaton Parkway in North Oxford. a high quality integrated transport hub linked to the A34, A40 and Oxford city centre.
The Chiltern Railways' project will see average journey times fall by 20%, including from the M40 park and ride hubs at Warwick Parkway (J15) and Haddenham & Thame Parkway (J7), journey times of just 92 minutes from its London Marylebone base to Birmingham Snow Hill slashing the present journey time by 25 minutes, and Banbury will be just 50 minutes away (presently 67mins).
This scheme will deliver huge benefits to hundreds of thousands of passengers. It will be delivered in stages, with the main line journey time improvements being delivered from 2011 and the new line to Oxford, including Water Eaton Parkway, is expected to open by 2013, subject to Transport and Works Act approval.