Advanced Oxford is a member of a group convened by Network Rail, Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council to refine the brief of future design development and master-planning work for Oxford Station and the surrounding area (the “West End”).
Network Rail collected views from stakeholders in March, 2020, asking them to articulate, in simple terms, their top 3 priority objectives for the redevelopment of Oxford station and its infrastructure.
Having reached out to our membership of science and innovation based businesses and organisations, the following 3 key priorities were identified:
– Increased capacity/frequency
– Providing an effective interchange with other public transport modalities (buses and cycling were particularly highlighted)
– Opening up new infrastructure, in particular: branch lines, new stations where you can get on and off, opening up Cowley and links to Oxfordshire’s science parks and science campuses is a particular priority
In addition to the three top priorities, there were some clear messages:
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Place is important, the station should provide a welcoming and impressive hub for people arriving in the city, fitting of a global city, operating on a World stage. However, an improved visitor experience to Oxfordshire as a whole was cited also
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Better connection to Didcot, opening up Cowley, regenerating Oxpens and Osney Mead, the ability to connect across Oxfordshire with stations where you can get on and get off
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Connectivity to cycling routes and the ability to take bikes onto trains more easily (bike-train-bike) as well as to bus services is important
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Given Advanced Oxford’s membership, it is not surprising that respondents want the area around the station to be representative of innovation and enterprise, for the station to stimulate economic development
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Reducing the dependence upon cars was strongly supported, specifically reducing traffic on the A34, A40 and A44
We will continue to work with this group to represent the views of our community.
