Cherwell Valley Line
Encyclopedia
The Cherwell Valley Line is the railway line between Didcot
and Banbury
via Oxford
. It links the Great Western Main Line
and the south to the Chiltern Main Line
and the Midlands. The line follows the River Cherwell
for much of its route between Oxford and Banbury.
The former station for Bletchingdon was always spelt Bletchington. The former halt at Wolvercote was called Wolvercot Platform, with a deliberately different spelling of the village's name, to distinguish it from the London & North Western Railway's adjacent Wolvercote Halt.
and First Great Western
. First Great Western has designated the local service between Oxford and Banbury the Oxford Canal Line.
The line carries a large and increasing volume of freight between the Port of Southampton
and the English Midlands
.
, this route is the only route on which domestic UK trains can tilt, something of which Virgin Cross Country took advantage on trains from the WCML to Reading and beyond, utilising SuperVoyager
trains that can tilt.
CrossCountry
's new operator, Arriva
, does not run much on the WCML, and considers it not worthwhile to activate the tilt mechanism for the short stretch of the Cherwell Valley line. For this reason many SuperVoyagers have been transferred to Virgin West Coast, who can use their tilting ability on the WCML. The majority of CrossCountry services on the Cherwell Valley line are now worked by standard non-tilting Voyager
trains, and any remaining tilting Voyagers have had their tilt function disabled to improve reliability and cut costs.
between Oxford and Didcot:
.
Didcot
Didcot is a town and civil parish in Oxfordshire about south of Oxford. Until 1974 it was in Berkshire, but was transferred to Oxfordshire in that year, and from Wallingford Rural District to the district of South Oxfordshire...
and Banbury
Banbury
Banbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
via Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. It links the Great Western Main Line
Great Western Main Line
The Great Western Main Line is a main line railway in Great Britain that runs westwards from London Paddington station to the west of England and South Wales. The core Great Western Main Line runs from London Paddington to Temple Meads railway station in Bristol. A major branch of the Great...
and the south to the Chiltern Main Line
Chiltern Main Line
The Chiltern Main Line is an inter-urban, regional and commuter railway, part of the British railway system. It links London and Birmingham on a 112-mile route via the towns of High Wycombe, Banbury, and Leamington Spa...
and the Midlands. The line follows the River Cherwell
River Cherwell
The River Cherwell is a river which flows through the Midlands of England. It is a major tributary of the River Thames.The general course of the River Cherwell is north to south and the 'straight-line' distance from its source to the Thames is about...
for much of its route between Oxford and Banbury.
Current and former stations served
previously known as Banbury Bridge Street- Kings SuttonKing's Sutton railway stationKing's Sutton railway station serves the village of King's Sutton in Northamptonshire, England. It is also the nearest railway station to the town of Brackley. The station is managed by Chiltern Railways, who provide services along with First Great Western....
- Former station at AynhoAynho for Deddington railway stationAynho for Deddington railway station was a railway station serving the village of Aynho in Northamptonshire, England. It was on what is now known as the Cherwell Valley Line.-History:...
- Former station at
- HeyfordHeyford railway stationHeyford railway station serves the village of Lower Heyford in Oxfordshire, England. The station, and the ten trains each Monday to Saturday serving it, are operated by First Great Western. It is situated on the Cherwell Valley Line, and is ideally located for visiting the Oxford Canal and...
previously known as Lower Heyford - Former station for BletchingdonBletchington railway stationBletchington railway station is a disused station located in the hamlet of Enslow over 1 mile east of the village of Bletchingdon which gave the station its final name...
previously known as Kirtlington - Former station at previously known as Woodstock Road
- Former halt at Wolvercote
- Former halt at HinkseyHinksey Halt railway stationHinksey Halt railway station was built by the Great Western Railway to serve New Hinksey, a suburb of Oxford.-History:The station was situated on the main Didcot to railway line, to the north of the site of Millstream Junction, the junction for the original terminus at Oxford , which was later a...
- Former halt at Abingdon RoadAbingdon Road Halt railway stationAbingdon Road Halt railway station was built by the Great Western Railway to serve South Hinksey, a village near Oxford.-History:The station was situated on the main Didcot to railway line, to the north of Kennington Junction, the junction for and...
- Former station at , formerly known as Abingdon Road
The former station for Bletchingdon was always spelt Bletchington. The former halt at Wolvercote was called Wolvercot Platform, with a deliberately different spelling of the village's name, to distinguish it from the London & North Western Railway's adjacent Wolvercote Halt.
Services
Passenger services are provided by CrossCountryCrossCountry
CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva...
and First Great Western
First Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
. First Great Western has designated the local service between Oxford and Banbury the Oxford Canal Line.
The line carries a large and increasing volume of freight between the Port of Southampton
Port of Southampton
The Port of Southampton is a major passenger and cargo port located in the central part of the south coast of England. It benefits from shelter provided by the Isle of Wight and Southampton Water, unique "double tides" and close proximity to the motorway and rail networks...
and the English Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
.
Tilting
With the exception of the West Coast Main LineWest Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
, this route is the only route on which domestic UK trains can tilt, something of which Virgin Cross Country took advantage on trains from the WCML to Reading and beyond, utilising SuperVoyager
British Rail Class 221
The Class 221 Super Voyager is a class of British diesel-electric multiple-unit express trains built by Bombardier Transportation between 2001 and 2002, entering service on 12 April 2002....
trains that can tilt.
CrossCountry
CrossCountry
CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva...
's new operator, Arriva
Arriva
Arriva plc is a multinational public transport company owned by Deutsche Bahn and headquartered in Sunderland, United Kingdom. It has bus, coach, train, tram and waterbus operations in 12 countries across Europe, employs more than 47,500 people and services over 1.5 billion passenger journeys each...
, does not run much on the WCML, and considers it not worthwhile to activate the tilt mechanism for the short stretch of the Cherwell Valley line. For this reason many SuperVoyagers have been transferred to Virgin West Coast, who can use their tilting ability on the WCML. The majority of CrossCountry services on the Cherwell Valley line are now worked by standard non-tilting Voyager
British Rail Class 220
The Class 220 Voyager are a class of diesel-electric high-speed multiple-unit trains built by Bombardier Transportation in 2000 and 2001....
trains, and any remaining tilting Voyagers have had their tilt function disabled to improve reliability and cut costs.
River Thames
The line makes three crossings of the River ThamesRiver Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
between Oxford and Didcot:
- Osney Rail BridgeOsney Rail BridgeOsney Rail Bridge is a railway bridge over the River Thames at Oxford in England. It carries the Cherwell Valley Line between Didcot and Oxford across the river on the reach between Iffley Lock and Osney Lock....
- Nuneham Railway BridgeNuneham Railway BridgeNuneham Railway Bridge is a railway bridge in England near the town of Abingdon, Oxfordshire. It carries the Cherwell Valley Line between Didcot and Oxford across the River Thames between Abingdon Lock and Sandford Lock. The current bridge was built in 1929 and has also been called the Black...
- Appleford Railway BridgeAppleford Railway BridgeAppleford Railway Bridge carries the Cherwell Valley Line from Didcot to Oxford across the River Thames near the village of Appleford-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England. It crosses the Thames on the reach between Clifton Lock and Culham Lock. The bridge was under construction in December...
Electrification
Under the plans for the Great Western Electrification project, announced in July 2009, the section of the Cherwell Valley Line between Didcot and Oxford will be electrifiedRailway electrification in Great Britain
Railway electrification in Great Britain started towards of the 19th century. A great range of voltages have been used in the intervening period using both overhead lines and third rails, however the most common standard for mainline services is now 25 kV AC using overhead lines and the...
.