From Tuesday, 11 April 2023, until the end of October, the section of Botley Road that passes underneath the rail bridge near Oxford Rail Station will be closed to motor vehicle traffic, including buses, to allow for works to upgrade Oxford Rail Station and Railway.
Network rail is replacing the bridge over Botley Road as part of works to improve the western side of Oxford Railway station. As a result, the section of Botley Road that passes under the rail bridge will be closed to traffic from 11 April 2023 for up to 7 months.
The rail station and railway upgrades, part of the Oxfordshire Connect programme, involves expanding Oxford Station and the railway to allow more rail services for passengers and freight and reduce journey times in the future.
The road network near the station will also be improved to create safer junctions with Botley Road and encourage sustainable transport by enhancing bus travel while providing more space for cyclists and pedestrians with a four-metre cycle/footway on each side of the main road.
Due to the scale and nature of the works on the highway, including the need to divert vital utility services, the impact on Botley Road will be significant. The closure of Botley Road near the rail bridge will allow the work to be completed more quickly.
This method of accommodating the railway work would preserve access to businesses and services along Botley Road and minimise the likelihood of the substantial traffic queues that would occur with just lane closures.
Other main routes into Oxford are expected to get busier because of the closure of Botley Road, so limited road works on these roads will be allowed to help mitigate this.
What does Botley Road rail bridge closure mean for bus services?
Whilst buses can still access Botley Road, they won’t be able to go beyond Botley Road to or from Frideswide Square (outside Oxford Rail Station) and Oxford City Centre from the Western side of the city. The closure will affect Stagecoach services S1, S2, S6 and S9 and Oxford Bus Company’s BROOKESbus400/U1, city3B, city4A, connector 23 & 33 and Thames Travel 63 & 63S services.
Pedestrian and cycle access through the closure points will be maintained throughout, although the specific route may change.
Select a service to jump to that section.
S1 | S2 | S6 | S9 | BROOKESbus400/U1 | city3B | city4A | connector 23 & 33 | Thames Travel 63 & 63S
S1
Due to the frequency of the S1 bus service and to enable Stagecoach to provide a service into Oxford City Centre from Witney for as many passengers as possible, the S1 will divert from Eynsham Church via A40 and Woodstock Road into Oxford City Centre, terminating at Frideswide Square (outside Oxford Railway Station). It will then run the same route in reverse back to Eynsham Church.
Stop B2 in George Street (next to the New Theatre) will be the main pick-up for customers travelling back towards Witney and Carterton. The route prior between Carterton and Eynsham will be unchanged.
Passengers travelling from Carterton or Witney to Farmoor, Dean Court, Elms Parade or the first half of Botley Road can still travel to these destinations by changing to the new E1 service in Eynsham.
A new timetable will run to allow extra time to get to and from Oxford City Centre via A40 and Woodstock Road, and the S1 will run to a 20-minute frequency Monday to Saturday. This will be provided shortly.
Please note: On Easter Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday, the S1 will run to the current Sunday timetable (via Botley Road). The Botley Road rail bridge closure and diversion of bus services will come into effect from Tuesday, 11 April.
E1
The E1 bus service is a new route starting in Eynsham to serve Farmoor and Botley Road for the duration of the works – (previously covered by the S1). The E1 will provide a service up to every 30 minutes between 5.00am and midnight on Monday to Saturday (9.00am and 8.00pm on Sundays).
The E1 will run along Botley Road, finishing and starting at the Osney Island stop near Oxford Railway Station bridge. A timetable will be provided shortly.
S2
The 2-hourly Cheltenham to Oxford buses will stay on the regular route and timetable. The short journeys from Curbridge to Oxford will terminate in Witney, and passengers looking to travel onwards to Oxford from Curbridge will need to take the S1 from Witney. Through-tickets will be available for passengers wishing to make this connection.
S6
The S6 bus service will run a normal route to the stop on Botley Road at Oxford Railway Bridge. The timetable will be largely unchanged, except for journeys finishing and starting at the Osney Island stop near Oxford Railway Station bridge, rather than Oxford City Centre.
S9
The S9 bus service will run a normal route to the stop on Botley Road at Oxford Railway Bridge. The timetable will be largely unchanged, except for journeys finishing and starting at the Osney Island stop near Oxford Railway Station bridge, rather than Oxford City Centre.
For services S6 and S9, departure times from Swindon and Wantage will remain unchanged, as will arrival times in the city centre, although users will need to factor in the walking distance from the final stop at the Railway Bridge to their end destination.
Departure times from Oxford on the S6 and S9 will also remain the same, but again, to account for the bus stop at the Railway Bridge being further away than the usual stop, passengers should account for this.
BROOKESbus400/U1
The BROOKESbus400/U1 service will not be able to operate as a through service from Harcourt Hill to Wheatley. As a result, the BROOKESbus service will need to implement a temporary revised timetable during this period. Services will be split at Oxford Rail Station, where passengers will need to walk (approximately 5 minutes) to the other side of the rail bridge, where buses will continue along the 400 and NU1 routes.
BROOKESbus 400/U1 services coming from Wheatley, Thornhill Park&Ride and Headington will terminate at Oxford Rail Station. Passengers wishing to travel beyond Oxford Rail Station towards Seacourt Park&Ride and Harcourt Hill will need to alight and walk to the Osney Island bus stops on the other side of the bridge, where buses towards Seacourt Park&Ride and Harcourt Hill will operate from. Buses returning to Headington, Thornhill Park&Ride and Wheatley will commence from Oxford Rail Station forecourt and then run along the current route to Wheatley.
BROOKESbus NU1 services from Wheatley and Headington will terminate at Speedwell Street in Oxford City Centre and return from there to Headington and Wheatley.
BROOKESbus 400/U1 services from Harcourt Hill and Seacourt Park&Ride will terminate at the Osney Island bus stops on Botley Road – these are the closest stops to Oxford Rail Station that we are permitted to serve. Passengers wishing to travel beyond towards Oxford City Centre, Headington, Thornhill Park&Ride and Wheatley will need to alight from the bus and walk to Oxford Rail Station forecourt on the other side of the bridge (approximately 5 minutes), where buses operate from.
BROOKESbus NU1 services from Harcourt Hill will terminate at the Osney Island bus stops on Botley Road – these are the closest stops to Oxford Rail Station that the service is permitted to serve. Passengers wishing to travel onwards will need to alight from the bus and walk to the Oxford Rail Station forecourt on the other side of the bridge (approximately 5 minutes), where Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel.
city3B
Due to the Botley Road closure, there is a need to implement a revised route and timetable for the 3B. The morning trip will depart from Rose Hill 10 minutes earlier than at present, and travel along the regular route to the City Centre, then via Abingdon Road and A34 Southern Bypass to Matthew Arnold School. The afternoon trip will operate via A34 Southern Bypass and Abingdon Road to Oxford City Centre, where the current route will resume to Rose Hill.
city4A
For the duration of the road closure, city4A will be unable to run into the City Centre and will start and finish at the Osney Island bus stops on Botley Road. These are the closest pair of bus stops to the west of Oxford Rail Station that the service will be permitted to serve, and passengers will need to walk to the other side of the rail bridge for onward buses to Oxford City Centre departing from Oxford Rail Station. Please see below for details of the temporary ticketing arrangements.
connector 23 & 33
For the duration of the road closure, connector 33 will be unable to run into Oxford City Centre and will start and finish at the Osney Island bus stops on Botley Road. These are the closest pair of bus stops to the west of Oxford Rail Station that the service will be permitted to serve, and passengers will need to walk to the other side of the rail bridge for onward buses to Oxford City Centre departing from Oxford Rail Station. Please see below for details of the temporary ticketing arrangements.
The Oxford Bus Company will also be making some changes to times across the route to improve punctuality from the same date. The timetable for connector 23 will also have minor changes across the route to ensure that we continue to provide a coordinated frequency of up to every 30 minutes between Milton Park, Didcot and Wallingford between both services.
Thames Travel 63 & 63S
For the duration of the road closure, services 63 & 63S will be unable to run into Oxford City Centre and will start and finish at the Osney Island bus stops on Botley Road. These are the closest pair of bus stops to the west of Oxford Rail Station that the service will be permitted to serve, and passengers will need to walk to the other side of the rail bridge for onward buses to Oxford City Centre departing from Oxford Rail Station.
Further information
If you have any questions regarding changes to the S1, E1, S2, S6 and S9 services, kindly contact Stagecoach at oxford.enquiries@stagecoachbus.com or 0345 241 8000* between 8.00am and 6.00pm from Monday to Friday and between 9.00am and 5.00pm on Saturday and Sunday. Alternatively, visit the Stagecoach website for more information.
Visit the Oxford Bus Company website for other services and details of their temporary ticketing arrangements.
* Calls are charged at geographic rates (the same as 01/02 numbers) and are included in call packages from both landlines and mobiles.
