111 ● Oxfordshire Rail Strategy & Delivery Plan Draft for Consultation While Oxfordshire County Council has made every effort to ensure the information in this document is accurate, it does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of the information contained in this document and it cannot accept liability for any loss or damages of any kind resulting from reliance on the information or guidance this document contains. © Copyright, Oxfordshire County Council, 2012 Copyright in the typographical arrangements rests with Oxfordshire County Council. This publication, excluding logos, may be reproduced free of charge in any format or medium for non-commercial research, private study or for internal circulation within an organisation. This is subject to it being reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading context. The title must be acknowledged as copyright and the title of the publication specified. Unless specified, all maps, tables, diagrams and graphs in this report are a product of Oxfordshire County Council. 222 ● Oxfordshire Rail Strategy & Delivery Plan Draft for Consultation CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.....................................................................................................5 PREFACE............................................................................................................................9 CHAPTER 1: PURPOSE OF THE STRATEGY.................................................................10 Background .......................................................................................................................10 Introduction .......................................................................................................................11 The Case for Rail in Oxfordshire ........................................................................................11 Rail and the Economy........................................................................................................14 Rail and the Local Transport Strategy ...............................................................................14 Investments in the Rail Industry .........................................................................................16 Structure and Content .......................................................................................................18 Strategy Delivery ................................................................................................................21 CHAPTER 2: RAIL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ..................................................23 Introduction .......................................................................................................................23 The Role of Transport and Rail in Economic Development ...............................................24 Key Economic Drivers, Developments and Places ............................................................26 CHAPTER 3: BASELINE AND CURRENT CHALLENGES ..............................................33 Introduction ........................................................................................................................33 Key Facts on Rail in Oxfordshire .......................................................................................33 CHAPTER 4: NETWORK ASPIRATIONS.........................................................................41 Introduction ........................................................................................................................41 Passenger Growth Forecasts ............................................................................................41 Medium / Longer Term Rail Industry Investment Plans .....................................................42 Rail Franchising Policy.......................................................................................................45 Passenger Service Levels .................................................................................................45 Train Service Performance ................................................................................................47 Fares and Ticketing ...........................................................................................................47 Stations..............................................................................................................................50 Safety and Personal Security.............................................................................................52 Passenger Information.......................................................................................................52 Customer Expectations......................................................................................................53 Station Adoption and Community Rail ...............................................................................54 Freight................................................................................................................................54 Safeguarding Land for Future Schemes ............................................................................54 CHAPTER 5: LINE OF ROUTE ISSUES AND ASPIRATIONS .........................................56 Great Western Main Line ...................................................................................................56 Cotswolds & Malverns Line................................................................................................59 Chiltern Main Line..............................................................................................................62 Cherwell Valley (‘Oxford Canal Line’) ................................................................................65 Bicester Branch Line (‘Bicester Link’) ................................................................................67 Henley-on-Thames Branch Line (‘Regatta Line’) ...............................................................69 333 ● Oxfordshire Rail Strategy & Delivery Plan Draft for Consultation CHAPTER 6: STRATEGIC PROJECTS............................................................................71 East West Rail ...................................................................................................................71 Oxford Station....................................................................................................................71 Didcot Parkway Station Interchange..................................................................................73 Access to Science Vale UK ...............................................................................................73 Electrification .....................................................................................................................75 Intercity Express Programme (IEP) ...................................................................................76 Crossrail.............................................................................................................................77 Banbury Station Redevelopment .......................................................................................78 High Speed 2 .....................................................................................................................79 Western Access to Heathrow.............................................................................................79 Oxford Eastern Arc ............................................................................................................79 Carterton Rail Link .............................................................................................................79 Freight Facility Improvements............................................................................................79 CHAPTER 7: FUNDING AND DELIVERY OF THE STRATEGY ......................................80 Introduction ........................................................................................................................80 Rail Industry Funding Sources...........................................................................................80 Wider Funding Sources .....................................................................................................83 Delivery..............................................................................................................................87 CHAPTER 8: PLAN DEVELOPMENT...............................................................................89 Risk Factors.......................................................................................................................89 Programme for Updating....................................................................................................89 Reporting Progress............................................................................................................89 Equal Opportunities ...........................................................................................................89 Environmental Impact ........................................................................................................89 CHAPTER 9: CONSULTATION ........................................................................................90 Stakeholder Consultation...................................................................................................90 Action following consultation..............................................................................................90 Invitations to consultees.....................................................................................................90