OREANDA-NEWS. The event will take place between 2pm and 8pm on Thursday 12 February at St. Peter’s Church meeting rooms on First Turn Road in Wolvercote. Members of the Network Rail project team will be on hand throughout to explain the work being undertaken and to answer any questions.

The work forms part of the East West Rail scheme to introduce a new, direct route between Oxford and London Marylebone. To provide this direct route, an extra railway line is being built between Oxford and Bicester; a new chord line is being installed to link the Bicester to Oxford lines to the Chiltern Main Line and to London Marylebone; and First Turn bridge in Wolvercote is being rebuilt to create the additional space needed for the extra line between Oxford and Bicester to run underneath.

To enable Network Rail to complete the rebuilding of First Turn bridge, the bridge will be closed to vehicles from 15 February for approximately nine months. Throughout this time pedestrians and cyclists will still be able to cross the railway at this location via a temporary bridge.

Andy Milne, Network Rail’s senior programme manager, said: “The direct route to Marylebone will bring huge benefits to Oxfordshire, making journeys to London faster and more convenient for passengers.

“We know that this work, in particular the temporary closure of First Turn bridge, could inconvenience those who live and work in the area, which is why we’re holding this drop-in event. All residents are welcome and I’d urge anyone who wants to know more about our work, or has a question they’d like answered, to come along.”

The diversion route agreed with Oxfordshire County Council during the temporary closure of the bridge is as follows: Mere Road – Godstow Road – Wolvercote Roundabout – A4144 Woodstock Road.

Notes to editors

The new line between Oxford and London Marylebone is planned to launch from Oxford Parkway station in summer 2015 and from Oxford station (city centre) in spring 2016.

The upgrade of the Oxford to Bicester line not only facilitates the new Chiltern Railways service between Oxford and London, but also the first phase of work on the western section of the East West Rail scheme that will reinstate the railway for passenger and freight services through to Milton Keynes and Bedford.

Work on the East West Rail project is being undertaken through a partnership between Network Rail and Chiltern Railways, who are managing delivery of the project through the Bicester to Oxford Collaboration.

About Network Rail
Network Rail owns, manages and develops Britain’s railway – the 20,000 miles of track, 40,000 bridges and viaducts, and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations (the largest of which we also run). In partnership with train operators we help people take more than 1.6bn journeys by rail every year - double the number of 1996 - and move hundreds of millions of tonnes of freight, saving almost 8m lorry journeys. We’re investing ?38bn in the railway by 2019 to deliver more frequent, more reliable, safer services and brighter and better stations.