Proposed new Ardley Railway Station Development Status Update – August 2026

Proposed new Ardley railway station: development status update - August 2026

1. Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) has completed an Initial Pre-Feasibility Study into the potential for a new passenger railway station at Ardley, on the Chiltern Main Line between Bicester and Banbury.
2. An Initial Pre-Feasibility Study is an early stage of scheme development. Its purpose is to identify whether there is sufficient evidence to continue developing a proposal, and to understand the principal opportunities, constraints and issues requiring further work. It does not select a final station design or location, determine future train services or commit OCC to delivery of the station.

The strategic case for Ardley station

3. A future station at Ardley could improve access to the rail network for Ardley, Middleton Stoney, Upper Heyford, Heyford Park and surrounding communities, which currently rely significantly on road travel to reach existing stations.
4. The station could potentially fulfil different roles. At its simplest, it could be a local station serving nearby communities and planned growth. With appropriate highway access and interchange facilities, it could potentially have a wider role serving a broader catchment, including journeys from the M40 and A43 corridors.
5. The station therefore needs to be considered in the context of wider growth and transport changes in north Oxfordshire, including the continuing development of Heyford Park and the proposed Oxfordshire Strategic Rail Freight Interchange (OxSRFI).

What the Initial Pre-Feasibility Study tells us

6. The work undertaken to date has identified a credible basis for OCC to continue developing the Ardley Station proposition. The initial assessment has identified a potential pathway for the station to be developed further, while also highlighting a number of issues that will require further investigation as the scheme progresses. This provides a basis for proportionate early development work to continue, including alongside ongoing engagement through the OxSRFI Development Consent Order (DCO) process.
7. A review of potential station locations indicates that the historic Ardley station location, between Ardley Wood and the B430, is the most credible starting point for further assessment. The historic station location and wider area considered by the study are shown in Figure 1.
8. An important consideration is that much of the railway around Ardley lies within Ardley Cutting and Quarry Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), with the Ardley Trackways SSSI also nearby. These nationally important environmental and geological designations will need to be carefully considered as the scheme develops. The historic station location may offer advantages because railway infrastructure has previously existed there, but detailed environmental assessment and engagement with Natural England will be required before any conclusions can be reached.
9. For initial assessment purposes, the study considered a relatively simple station comprising two platforms, an accessible footbridge, passenger waiting facilities, a small forecourt, bus and active travel facilities and initial car parking provision. The eventual station could be larger or smaller depending on the role it is intended to perform.
10. Initial benchmarking indicates that a basic station could cost approximately £24 million to £29 million. This is an early order-of-magnitude assessment rather than a formal cost estimate and could change substantially as the station location, access arrangements, environmental requirements and station design are developed.

Train services and the Chiltern Main Line

11. Introducing a new station call at Ardley is not simply a matter of adding a stop to an existing train. The Chiltern Main Line is a busy two-track railway carrying a mix of stopping, longer-distance passenger and freight services, and the current timetable does not readily accommodate an additional Ardley call.
12. A future Ardley Station timetable will therefore need to be integrated into wider rail industry thinking for the Chiltern corridor, including future service patterns, the performance and capability of replacement rolling stock and potential infrastructure and signalling enhancements. Further timetable development will be required with the rail industry before a preferred Ardley service pattern can be established.
13. This means that Ardley should be regarded as a longer-term rail opportunity, developed alongside wider changes to the Chiltern corridor rather than as a simple additional station stop.

Relationship with OxSRFI

14. The proposed OxSRFI has an important interface with Ardley Station, but the station is a separate proposition and will not be promoted or delivered by the OxSRFI Applicant. The potential station is also not dependent on OxSRFI being delivered and could still perform a more local role using the surrounding highway network. However, elements of the OxSRFI proposals, particularly the proposed Ardley Bypass and associated highway improvements, could significantly strengthen the accessibility and potential wider role of the station. The OxSRFI proposals may also result in signalling or other rail-infrastructure changes on the corridor which, subject to detailed assessment, could provide opportunities to support the future integration of an Ardley station call.
15. In particular, improved access from the future highway network could allow the station to serve a wider catchment without directing substantial additional traffic through Ardley village. The way in which the station connects with the future road network will therefore be an important consideration in determining its eventual role.
16. OCC proposes to continue engaging with the OxSRFI applicant as its proposals and masterplan develop, to coordinate the interface between the two proposals and ensure that the opportunity for a future Ardley Station is not prejudiced. In particular, the intention is to ensure that the developing OxSRFI masterplan and access arrangements retain the ability to provide suitable future access to a station at the historic Ardley location, should subsequent work identify this as the preferred station site.
17. This engagement will also provide an opportunity to consider how future highway, walking, cycling and public transport connections could be coordinated between the station, surrounding communities, Heyford Park and the wider transport network.

Further work and next steps

18. The Initial Pre-Feasibility Study concludes that Ardley Station merits further investigation. The next stage will need to determine more clearly what role the station should perform and whether the transport, environmental, operational and financial case can support its continued development.
19. Further work is expected to include:
    • further assessment of potential station locations, roles, design and costs;
    • further timetable and operational assessment with the rail industry;
    • environmental assessment and engagement with Natural England;
    • continued engagement with the OxSRFI applicant to protect future station access and connectivity; and
    • further assessment of passenger demand, benefits and potential funding options.
20. Subject to the findings of this further work, OCC will be able to then consider the production of a Strategic Outline Case for Ardley Station. This would represent the next formal stage of scheme development and would bring together the strategic case, preferred station role and location, train service proposition, environmental considerations, costs, benefits, funding and delivery arrangements.

Ardley station - location and key interfaces

• View location and key interfaces in Ardley Station update (pdf format, 200KB)

Figure 1 - Ardley Station study area

Figure 1 is a simplified plan showing the Chiltern Main Line between Ardley Tunnel and the M40, together with Ardley village, Heyford Park, the historic Ardley station location.

The initial work indicates that much of the railway is constrained by its location within a cutting and by the surrounding SSSI. The historic station location, immediately west of the B430, provides the most credible starting point for further assessment because of the space associated with the former railway layout and previous station infrastructure.