Noise and traffic fears as multi-million pound Oxford Station upgrade confirmed
£161 million is to be invested to upgrade Oxford railway station to improve journey times.
A new western station entrance will be built and a new track and platform will be added alongside platform 4.
The money will create a bigger station with more services for both passengers and freight improving journey times.
The Department for Transport has confirmed it has awarded a further £78.6 million to Network Rail, in addition to £69 million of investment announced by the government in May last year.
The government says the scheme could create thousands of new jobs, but local residents say it will mean more construction traffic and noise.
One resident said: "The whole construction process is going to affect the main road.
"There's big big concerns about access to all the side roads and how it's going to work. People on foot, people on bikes it doesn't matter.
"So in and out and across from Botley Road will all be affected."
The key changes include:
The introduction of a new track and platform to be added alongside the existingplatform 4, creating an island platform on the west side of the station
A new western station entrance that will be built next to Botley Road and will link upto the new platform via a subway, stairs and lift. The new entrance will make thestation more accessible to people living to the west of the station, reducing walkingtime.
Improvements to the nearby road network and replacement of Botley Road bridgeincluding the lowering of the road to enable standard double-decker buses to passunderneath for the first time. The new bridge design will also include a four-metre-wide cycle/footpath on each side to encourage sustainable transport and improvesafety
Reduced journey times thanks to three new crossovers, which allow trains to switchtracks at Oxford North Junction
The track work to create three high-speed crossovers at Oxford North Junction will take place over four weekends in September and October.
It will mean that there will be no services in or out of Oxford on 10 and 11, 17 and 18, and 24 and 25 September, as well as 1 and 2 October.
The bridge on Botley Road will be closed to through traffic from the 29 July to the 6 August 2023 to allow for the diversion of utilities ahead the Bridge being replaced later next year.
Discussions about the road closures during the upcoming work are ongoing with Oxfordshire County Council and further information will be announced in the coming weeks.
Outside of London, Oxford is one of the busiest stations in the south, managing more than 8.5 million passengers a year before the pandemic, which has been recovering strongly.
The new track and platform on the west side of the station will significantly improve stationcapacity from 2024 and accommodate new services.
Rail Minister Wendy Morton says there will be a number of improvements
Rail Minister, Wendy Morton, said: “This £161 million will truly transform the region,increasing the number of services for passengers, boosting economic growth by connecting people to new opportunities and increasing freight services between the South and Midlands.”
Oxfordshire City Council say that they will try to minimise disruption.
Councillor Duncan Enright, Cabinet Member for Travel and Development Strategy said: "As highways authority, we will be doing all we can to minimise the disruption to residents and visitors resulting from the essential work on the station; despite the short-term inconvenience we all know it will be worth it in the end, making Oxford the welcoming crossroads for the region's railways.”