Network Rail has finished laying new sections of track to connect Oxford city centre with London Marylebone, ahead of Chiltern Railways running services on the new line from December. The final track installations were completed around Peartree and Wolvercote in Oxford. The project saw the transformation of the old 20-40 mph branch line into a 100 mph main line.
The £320 million (EUR 372 million) project, including an investment of £130 million (EUR 151 million) from Chiltern Railways, was first conceived in 2002 and approved in 2013. The first section of the route opened from Oxford Parkway, a new station, in October 2015.
Once open, two trains per hour will run throughout the day from Oxford city centre to London Marylebone with journey times from around an hour. The new link introduces a useful alternative for people travelling between Oxford and London.
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