📋 Tender Overview
Botley Road In Oxford Reopened To Traffic This Morning, Reconnecting West Oxford With The City Centre And Marking A Major Milestone In The Transformation Of Oxford Station. Motorists, Bus Passengers, Cyclists And Pedestrians Can Now Once Again Use The Route Following Work To Install A New Railway Bridge And Create A Redesigned Road Layout Next To The Station. The Reopening Also Coincides With Improvements To Local Bus Services Introduced By Oxfordshire Operators. The Road Has Been Closed Beneath The Railway Bridge Since April 2023 While Network Rail And Its Partners Carried Out Major Work To Expand Oxford Station And Lay The Foundations For More Rail Services And Better Connections Across The Region. The New Road Layout Provides Better Facilities For Cyclists And Pedestrians, Restores Bus Access Through Botley Road And Supports Plans For Further Rail Improvements In And Around Oxford, Including East West Rail Services Between Oxford And Milton Keynes And A Scheme To Reopen The Cowley Branch Line. The Reopening Had Been Due To Take Place Earlier In The Summer But Was Pushed Back To Allow For Urgent Utility Works, With The Replacement Of A Section Of The Gas Network Beneath Botley Road. While The Additional Work Delayed The Reopening, Completing It At The Time Avoided The Need For Future Disruption And Helped Ensure The Long-Term Resilience Of Local Infrastructure. Tim Walden, Network RailS Wales & Western Region Capital Delivery Director, Said: The Closure Formed Part Of The Wider Oxford Station And Area Upgrade Programme, Which Will Increase Capacity At One Of The CountryS Busiest Rail Junctions And Help Unlock Further Improvements To Rail Services Across Oxfordshire And Beyond. The Project Encountered Significant Engineering And Utilities Challenges Following The Start Of Construction In 2023, Including The Discovery Of A Victorian Brick Arch Beneath The Road Which Was Not Identified In Existing Surveys Or Records, As Well As Complex Utility Diversions Involving Existing Drainage And Water Infrastructure. In January 2025, Network Rail Announced A Revised Programme That Prioritised Reopening Botley Road To Traffic. Work Remained On Schedule To Meet The August 2026 Target Until A Section Of Gas Pipe Was Uncovered During Excavation Work In July Which Required Urgent Replacement Because Of Its Location Directly Beneath The Road. Ends Passengers / Community Members Network Rail National Helpline 03457 11 41 41 Latest Travel Advice Please Visit National Rail Enquiries Journalists Network Rail Press Office - James Crook Senior Media Relations Manager Network Rail 07732 644202 James.Crook@Networkrail.Co.Uk We Own, Operate And Develop BritainS Railway Infrastructure; ThatS 20,000 Miles Of Track , 30,000 Bridges, Tunnels And Viaducts And The Thousands Of Signals , Level Crossings And Stations. We Run 20 Of The UkS Largest Stations While All The Others, Over 2,500, Are Run By The CountryS Train Operating Companies . Usually, There Are Almost Five Million Journeys Made In The Uk And Over 600 Freight Trains Run On The Network. People Depend On BritainS Railway For Their Daily Commute, To Visit Friends And Loved Ones And To Get Them Home Safe Every Day. Our Role Is To Deliver A Safe And Reliable Railway , So We Carefully Manage And Deliver Thousands Of Projects Every Year That Form Part Of The Multi-Billion Pound Railway Upgrade Plan , To Grow And Expand The NationS Railway Network To Respond To The Tremendous Growth And Demand The Railway Has Experienced - A Doubling Of Passenger Journeys Over The Past 20 Years. Follow Us On Twitter: @Networkrail Visit Our Online Newsroom: Www.Networkrailmediacentre.Co.Uk
