Bicester North railway station
Bicester North /ˈbɪstər/ (
listen) is a station on the Chiltern Main Line, one of two stations serving Bicester in Oxfordshire. Services operated by Chiltern Railways run south to London Marylebone and north to Banbury, Birmingham Snow Hill and Stratford-upon-Avon.
Bicester North  | |
|---|---|
 The station in 2011, after completion of widening work on the southbound platform | |
| Location | Bicester, District of Cherwell England |
| Grid reference | SP585231 |
| Managed by | Chiltern Railways |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Station code | BCS |
| Classification | DfT category D |
| History | |
| Opened | 1 July 1910 |
| Original company | Great Western Railway |
| Pre-grouping | GWR |
| Post-grouping | GWR |
| Passengers | |
| 2015/16 |  1.417 million |
| 2016/17 | 0.923 million |
| 2017/18 | 0.792 million |
| 2018/19 | 0.682 million |
| Interchange | 44,097 |
| 2019/20 |  0.839 million |
| Interchange | 32,575 |
| Location | |
| |
| Notes | |
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road | |
Bicester North is one of Bicester's two stations. The other is Bicester Village on the Oxford to London Marylebone Line.
History
The 'Bicester cut-off' between Ashendon Junction and Aynho Junction was opened in 1910 - the final main-line stretch of route to be completed in Britain until the 1980s. This provided a shortening of the London-to-Birmingham GWR main rail line, and also gave Bicester a station with direct London trains for the first time.
The station was transferred from the Western Region of British Rail to the London Midland Region on 24 March 1974.[1]
Services
The Monday - Friday off-peak service consists of:
- 2 trains per hour to London Marylebone, one of which is non-stop.
- 1 train per hour to Banbury
- 1 train per hour to Birmingham Snow Hill
Additional services run at peak hours, and other timetabled services run at weekends.
Improvement works
In 2010 the down line through the station was realigned for higher speeds, as part of the Evergreen 3 project. In 2011, the up (southbound) platform was widened, using the trackbed of the former through lines.[2]
Operator and routes
| Preceding station | National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| King's Sutton | Chiltern Railways London-Birmingham |
Haddenham & Thame Parkway | ||
| Banbury | Chiltern Railways Chiltern Main Line fast services |
High Wycombe | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Ardley Line open, station closed |
Great Western Railway Bicester "cut-off" |
Blackthorn Line open, station closed | ||
References
- Slater, J.N., ed. (May 1974). "Notes and News: Transfer of Marylebone-Banbury services". Railway Magazine. London: IPC Transport Press Ltd. 120 (877): 248. ISSN 0033-8923.
- "Evergreen 3 progress". Modern Railways. London. December 2010. p. 9.
External links
- Train times and station information for Bicester North railway station from National Rail
- Map sources for Bicester North railway station