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Bicester Village railway station

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Bicester Village
National Rail
BERJAYA
Two Class 168s at the station
General information
LocationBicester, Cherwell District,
England
Coordinates51°53′35″N 1°08′55″W / 51.8931°N 1.1485°W / 51.8931; -1.1485
Grid referenceSP586219
ManagerChiltern Railways
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeBIT
ClassificationDfT category F1
History
Original company
Buckinghamshire Railway
Pre-groupingLondon and North Western Railway
Post-groupingLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
1 October 1850Opened as Bicester
March 1954Renamed Bicester London Road
1 January 1968Closed
11 May 1987Reopened and renamed Bicester Town
15 February 2014Closed to rail traffic for line upgrade
12 March 2015Renamed Bicester Village
25 October 2015Reopened
Passengers
2020/21Decrease 0.375 million
 Interchange Decrease 130
2021/22Increase 1.178 million
 Interchange Increase 509
2022/23Increase 1.611 million
 Interchange Increase 616
2023/24Increase 1.760 million
 Interchange Increase 832
2024/25Increase 1.926 million
 Interchange Decrease 219
Location
Map
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Bicester Village is one of two railway stations serving Bicester, in Oxfordshire, England; the other is Bicester North. It lies 12 miles (19 km) north-east of Oxford on the Oxford–Bicester line, near to its junction with the Chiltern Main Line. The station reopened on 25 October 2015 with this new name (as it serves Bicester Village shopping centre in particular), with trains initially running between Oxford Parkway and London Marylebone. The station and all trains serving it are operated by Chiltern Railways.

Following the reinstatement of the railway line between Bicester and Bletchley, as part of East West Rail, Chiltern Railways had expected to begin services between Oxford and Milton Keynes Central via Bicester and Bletchley from late 2025.[1] As of June 2026, the date when services will begin remains unresolved.

History

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BERJAYA
Bicester London Road station with two platforms, 1961

The Buckinghamshire Railway, which already had a route between Bletchley and Banbury Merton Street, had powers to build a line to Oxford Rewley Road. The first part of this line, which ran from a junction to the west of Winslow (at a point which became known as Verney Junction) to Islip, opened on 1 October 1850, and this included a station at Bicester.[2][3][a] Originally named Bicester, the station was renamed Bicester London Road in March 1954,[3] although the nameboards were not altered until 20 September 1954.[4]

1968 closure

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The station was closed, along with the rest of the Oxford–Bletchley section of the Varsity Line, on 1 January 1968.[3] However, the station was used by several excursion trains through the 1970s and 1980s.

1987 reopening

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BERJAYA
Bicester Town station, 1992

Network SouthEast reopened the station as Bicester Town on 11 May 1987,[5] as the northern terminus of the Oxford to Bicester Line. From May 2009, First Great Western (FGW) and Oxfordshire County Council branded the line The Bicester Link.[6] Since then, operation of the line has been transferred from FGW to Chiltern Railways.

Since 1987, the frequency of trains has varied and passenger numbers have fluctuated accordingly. In the four years 2007–2011, more frequent trains led to an increase in the total number of passengers using Bicester Town by 258%.[b]

In August 2008, Chiltern Railways announced a proposal to build a new 1⁄4 mile (400 m) chord to link the Oxford-to-Bicester Line with the Chiltern Main Line to carry a new service between Oxford and London, via High Wycombe. The single line between Bicester Town and Oxford was to be doubled and a new station built at Oxford Parkway. Approval was granted in October 2012.[7]

From December 2008, the service on Mondays to Saturdays was improved, with an evening service and a doubling of the service on Saturdays. The service was increased to 11 trains Monday-to-Thursday, 12 on Fridays and 13 on Saturdays. From May 2009, further improvements saw extra trains in the daytime on Mondays to Fridays and a new Sunday service, with trains every 90 minutes.

On 22 May 2011, Chiltern Railways took over all passenger operations from First Great Western ahead of the new service between London Marylebone and Oxford that was due to start in 2013.[8] It was later amended to 2015.

Closure and reopening

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BERJAYA
Work progressing on concrete supports for the station platforms, March 2015

The last trains ran late on 14 February 2014[9] before the station was closed to allow upgrade of the line between Oxford and Bicester. The reopening, first planned for May 2015,[10][11] was delayed until 25 October 2015 with the official ceremony the following day.[12][13][14]

On 12 March 2015, Chiltern Railways announced that it would rename the station Bicester Village after the nearby designer retail outlet.[15][16] This change has been seen as controversial by many who live in Bicester who thought that it had taken place without proper consultation.[17] The outlet's presence has also led to the use of Arabic and Chinese language signage and station calls in Mandarin to aid foreign travellers.[18]

Before it closed for the rebuild, the station had one platform, a covered waiting area, seats, a clock, help point and public address. There were a number of bicycle stands but no ticket facilities; passengers could buy these on the train instead. As part of the works, the station was completely rebuilt as a two-platform station and ticket machines were provided.[19]

Facilities

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BERJAYA
The station, 2010

The station has two car parks; between them, they provide 230 standard spaces, plus 18 for passengers with reduced mobility. There is also parking for 60 bicycles and 18 motorcycles.[19]

A shuttle bus route BV1 connects the station to the shopping village.[20]

Services

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BERJAYA
A Chiltern Railways service to London Marylebone

The station is served by two trains per hour in each direction between London Marylebone and Oxford.[21]

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Islip or
Oxford Parkway		   Chiltern Railways
Oxford–Bicester line
London Marylebone – Oxford		   Haddenham and
Thame Parkway
or Princes Risborough
  Future services  
Oxford Parkway   Chiltern Railways
East West Rail
Oxford – Milton Keynes/Bedford		   Winslow
  Historical railways  
Wendlebury Halt
Line open, station closed		   London and North Western Railway
Varsity Line		   Launton
Line and station closed

Future services

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As of July 2022, the line eastward towards Bletchley is out of service while work is in progress on the section between Bicester and Bletchley. The route is scheduled to reopen by late 2024. Services are planned to link Bicester with Winslow, Milton Keynes Central and Bedford.

Once East West Rail is running, an hourly Oxford-Bedford service and a half-hourly Oxford-Milton Keynes Central service are planned,[22] bringing the total number of trains between Bicester Village and Oxford up to five per hour.

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ At its maximum extent, the line extended from Oxford to Cambridge and thus became known as the Varsity line.
  2. ↑ Office of the Rail Regulator passenger data: 04/05, Decrease 50,197; 05/06, Decrease 48,685; 06/07, Decrease 43,950; 07/08, Increase 51,902; 08/09, Increase 59,964; 09/10, Increase 105,000; 10/11, Increase 157,000.

References

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  1. ↑ "Chiltern Railways selected as operator for the first stage of East West Rail - Oxford to Milton Keynes". Chilternrailways.co.uk (Press release). Chiltern Railways. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
  2. ↑ Mitchell, Victor E.; Smith, Keith (July 2005). Oxford to Bletchley. Country Railway Routes. Midhurst: Middleton Press. Historical background. ISBN 1-904474-57-8.
  3. 1 2 3 Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 33. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
  4. ↑ Mitchell & Smith 2005, fig. 50
  5. ↑ Butt 1995, pp. 33–34
  6. ↑ "The Bicester Link". Bicesterlink.info. Archived from the original on 23 May 2009.
  7. ↑ "Chiltern gets go-ahead for second Oxford-London rail link". The Oxford Times. Newsquest. 18 October 2012.
  8. ↑ "Chiltern to take over Bicester–Oxford trains". Rail (664): 25. 23 February – 8 March 2011.
  9. ↑ "Bicester–Oxford". Chiltern Railways. Archived from the original on 9 February 2014.
  10. ↑ "Last train to run on Oxford to Bicester line before revamp". BBC News. Oxford. 14 February 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  11. ↑ "Chiltern Railway". Oxford Mail. Newsquest. 11 February 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  12. ↑ "Keen passengers board the first trains to leave Oxford Parkway". Witney Gazette. 25 October 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  13. ↑ "Bicester Village station structure complete". BBC News. 12 June 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  14. ↑ "October 2015 timetable". Chilternrailways.co.uk. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  15. ↑ "Bicester Town station rebranded as Bicester Village". BBC News. 12 March 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  16. ↑ "Bicester Town station to be renamed Bicester Village after Chiltern Railways decision". Oxford Mail. Newsquest. 12 March 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  17. ↑ "Bicester Town station rebranded as Bicester Village". BBC News. 12 March 2015.
  18. ↑ "Why do the Chinese love Bicester Village". BBC News. 21 April 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  19. 1 2 "Bicester Village (BIT)". National Rail. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  20. ↑ "Bicester Village Station (Main Entrance)". Bustimes.org. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  21. ↑ "Download our timetable". Chiltern Railways. 14 December 2025. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  22. ↑ "Project Overview: East West Rail is connecting Oxford and Cambridge". Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
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