Oxford City Station Phase 2C Botley Road

Oxfordshire Connect – Oxford Rail Station and area upgrade

Network Rail is investing £161 million in expanding Oxford Station with a new platform and western entrance, as well as significant improvements to the area beneath Botley Road bridge. The full replacement of the bridge over Botley Road will also address.

the vehicle headroom issues below the bridges (by lowering Botley Road)
the historic local flooding incidents (by improving the drainage provisions)
the Active Travel issues (by providing new pedestrian and cycleways)

We are working with Network Rail and its contractor, Kier, to finalise plans for the delivery of the work. Before the bridge can be physically replaced next year, all utility services that currently run underneath the road need to be diverted. This means the road will be closed at the bridge.

During the works, businesses along Botley Road and Osney Mead will remain open as normal.

Travel guidance

Between Tuesday 11 April and the end of October:

Motorists that usually use Botley Road to get into the city are advised to use one of the city’s park and ride sites (Seacourt is on Botley Road) or to take an alternative route into the city.

Until the end of September 2023, passengers can take advantage of a combined ticket at a reduced price which covers both parking and return bus travel at a rate of £4 for a car with only one adult, or £5 for a car and two adults. With both options, up to three children under 16 can travel for free.

The closure is expected to increase traffic on other main routes into the city, such as Abingdon, Woodstock and Banbury Roads.

Those who normally drive into Oxford along Botley Road will need to find alternative routes or park outside the affected area and finish their journeys by other means.

Buses are dropping passengers off at Osney Bridge so people can continue their journey to the railway station and the city centre on foot. For more information about specific services please visit

Pedestrians and cyclists will have access to the railway station and onwards into the city throughout the work. Alternate routes include:

Via Roger Dudman Way and Walton Well Road into Jericho
Via Osney Lane footbridge (please note this route is not accessible)
Further information about local cycle routes

National Highways repairs to A34

National Highways needs to carry out concrete repairs on the viaduct that carries the A34 over the River Thames near Wolvercote. To do this work safely, they need to close the road over a series of weekends.

The A34 will be closed northbound between the Botley and Peartree Interchanges:

Weekend – 9pm Friday 9 to 6am Monday 12 June
Weekend – 9pm Friday 16 to 6am Monday 19 June
Weekend – 9pm Friday 23 to 6am Monday 26 June

Accessible transport

For anyone who needs assistance getting to or from the city centre, there is an accessible bus service called The Botley Road Flyer operating from Osney and Botley. It runs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, taking people into town via Woodstock Road and Jericho. This includes stops in Summertown, at the Jericho Health Centre and Beaumont Street Surgery, as well as the Westgate Centre.

There is one bus an hour between 10am and 2pm collecting from outside West Oxford Community Centre and the Seacourt Bridge car park in Botley. The timings are as follows:

West Oxford Community Centre – 10am, 11am, 12pm and 1pm
Seacourt Bridge – 10.10am, 11.10am, 12.10pm and 1.10pm

The timings for return journeys from town vary depending on number of passengers and where they need to stop etc. Please be assured that the drivers make pick up arrangements with each passenger before dropping them off.

The bus can take 12 passengers at a time, plus space for one wheelchair (please note the vehicle can be adapted to accommodate more wheelchairs but needs advance warning) If you have specific accessibility requirements, then please call 01865 768329 to make arrangements. For more specific information about the service email oxfordphase2@networkrail.co.uk

People who are unable to use public or other transport due to their medical condition can use the non-emergency patient transport service for getting to healthcare appointments. For further information visit www.scas.nhs.uk/what-we-do/nepts/

Local residents' access to their homes will remain at all times, with some diversions in place.

Local businesses on Botley Road and Osney Mead will remain open and accessible to vehicles via the west end of Botley Road only.

Coaches: City centre coach bays for set-down and pick-up purposes will remain in use during the Botley Road closure.

St Aldate's South (northbound) - just south of the Combined Court OX11TL
Beaumont Street (westbound) - just outside the Playhouse OX1 2LW
St Giles' (northbound) - in the lay-by by the Taylorian OX1 3NA

Coach operators are advised to follow the diversion routes, including Abingdon Road, which will be in operation during the closure and advertised via electronic signs.

Electric scooters: These can be used to travel across the works area, although riders will need to push their e-scooters through a small section of the roadworks site - like cyclists.

The nearest parking bays on the west side of construction can be found at Botley Road (between West Oxford Community Centre and Twenty Pound Meadow Allotments) and the corner of West Way and North Hinksey Lane (near McDonalds). Details about how to use them are available on the Voi website.

Trains will operate as normal. Any temporary impact on services will be advertised well in advance. For more information please visit:

Please be aware that between Saturday 29 July and Sunday 6 August all lines through Oxford Station will be closed as part of the wider expansion project. During this nine-day period, three new high-speed crossovers will be installed on the line to the north of the station, as well as resignalling and work carried out on Osney Lane footbridge.

For information about the rail replacement services that will operate during this time visit https://www.gwr.com/travel-information/travel-updates/planned-engineering/oxford

Changes in autumn

In the autumn this section of Botley Road near the station will reopen until it closes again in the spring of 2024 for the bridge to be demolished and replaced and highway improvements made.

Keep informed

For information on the project visit networkrail.co.uk/oxfordshireconnect or for the latest highways information www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/oxfordstation

Anyone wishing to get the latest information on the project can sign up to receive e-mail updates at lineside.networkrail.co.uk/oxfordshireconnect