Banbury railway station

Banbury
The north end of Banbury station in 2011
General information
Location	Banbury, District of Cherwell England
Grid reference	SP462404
Managed by	Chiltern Railways
Platforms	4 [1] [2]
Other information
Station code	BAN
Classification	DfT category C1
History
Original company	Great Western Railway
Pre-grouping	Great Western Railway
Post-grouping	Great Western Railway
Key dates
2 September 1850 [3]	Opened as Banbury
After July 1938	Renamed Banbury General
1958 [3]	Rebuilt by British Railways
After 1961	Renamed Banbury
Passengers
2019/20	2.870 million
Interchange	0.310 million

v t e Railway lines which served Banbury
Legend
Great Western Railway (Chiltern Main Line) Oxfordshire Ironstone Railway GCR link from Woodford Halse Banbury Bridge Street (now Banbury) Banbury Merton Street Banbury to Verney Junction branch line Kings Sutton GWR Banbury & Cheltenham Direct Rly Aynho Junction GWR Cherwell Valley line (Oxford Canal line) Great Western Railway (Chiltern Main Line)

Map of the platforms at Banbury station, before the 2016 alterations

After the rebuilding of the station in 1956–58, there were six numbered platforms. These were formed into two islands: the western one having two through tracks and a single bay at its northern end, whilst the eastern island had a single through platform, but two bays, one at each end. The two islands were connected to each other and to the station entrance hall, by a footbridge.

At that time, the three through platforms were numbered 1, 3 and 4 from west to east, whilst the three bays were numbered 2, 5 and 6. All but one have since been redesignated; the present-day platform 2 was formerly platform 3, whilst the unnumbered bay at its northern end was originally platform 2, ^[13] and present-day platforms 3 and 4 were formerly platforms 4 and 6 respectively. ^[14] Platform 5, at the northern end of the present platform 3, has lost both its track and its number.

The present station has four numbered platforms, numbered 1 to 4 from west to east, grouped as two island platforms:

• Platform 1 is a through platform used as a bay by Great Western Railway's terminating local trains to Didcot Parkway and commuter trains beyond to Reading and London Paddington; Chiltern Railways use it for through and terminating services from the south. All terminating trains at this platform travel a short distance up the line before reversing back to the same platform and boarding outbound passengers, unless a train has since occupied the platform, which then means the train reverses to platform 3 to board passengers. Platform 1 is also used in emergencies if one of the others is out of use.
• Platform 2 is for Chiltern services north to Birmingham Moor Street/Snow Hill and Kidderminster, and CrossCountry services to Birmingham New Street and Manchester Piccadilly
• Platform 3 is for Chiltern services to London via Bicester, and CrossCountry services to Oxford, Reading, Southampton and Bournemouth.
• Platform 4 is a bay platform for terminating Chiltern services to and from London. An unnumbered bay platform (known as Platform 2 Bay) was used by terminating Chiltern services to and from Birmingham and Stratford until it was filled in during August 2016. Freight loops serve as main through lines for non-stopping freight trains. Most passenger services passing Banbury stop at the station and heritage steam locomotives stop here to fill up with water.

Many redundant loops and sidings surround the station; most of these were for goods services stopping at Banbury, which have all disappeared. Two goods loops survive to allow the stoppage of goods trains for the uninterrupted passage of passenger trains.

The station is being considered for remodelling to improve operational flexibility by Network Rail. ^[15]

Two new lower-quadrant semaphore signals were installed in late 2010, to allow passenger trains in platforms 1 and 2 to depart in the up direction. Their numbers were BS27 and BS33, and they were controlled from Banbury South signal box. ^[16]

A nine-day long blockade to resignal and complete alterations to the track layout at the station layout began on 30 July 2016. Both remaining manual signal boxes were closed with new multiple aspect signalling commissioned and all lines through the station coming under the control of the West Midlands Signalling Centre at Saltley. ^[17]

Services

Services at Banbury are provided by three train operating companies:

• Chiltern Railways provides most trains to Banbury; their weekday off-peak service consists of: ^[18]
  • 3 trains per hour to London Marylebone
  • 2 trains per hour to Birmingham Moor Street, of which one continues to Birmingham Snow Hill

• Great Western Railway's operates local services from Didcot Parkway, which operate Mondays to Saturdays only. ^[19]

• CrossCountry operates services between Manchester Piccadilly, Birmingham New Street, Reading, Southampton (Central and Airport Parkway), and Bournemouth. ^[20]

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Leamington Spa		Chiltern Railways London to Birmingham		Kings Sutton
		Chiltern Railways Birmingham to Oxford		Oxford or Kings Sutton
		Chiltern Railways Chiltern Main Line fast services		Bicester North or London Marylebone
Leamington Spa		CrossCountry Manchester to Bournemouth		Oxford
		CrossCountry Newcastle to Reading
Terminus		Great Western Railway Cherwell Valley Line		Kings Sutton
	Historical railways
Cropredy Line open, station closed		Great Western Railway Oxford and Rugby Railway		Kings Sutton Line and station open
	Disused railways
Chalcombe Road Halt Line and station closed		Great Central Railway Banbury branch		Terminus

Incidents

2008 train fire

On 14 March 2008, a CrossCountry Voyager forming the 16:25 service to Derby had a minor fire in the air vents while standing at platform 2. Passengers in both trains at the station and the station itself were evacuated. Fire crews arrived and the fire was extinguished; there were no reported deaths or injuries from the blaze. ^[21]

2015 Harbury Tunnel landslip

Between 31 January and 13 March 2015, all services north of Banbury were suspended and replaced by buses due to a major landslide at Harbury Tunnel, north of Fenny Compton. ^{[22] [23]} Over 100,000 tons of earth and rock subsided on the western side of the line during ongoing work to stabilise the cutting, which had been a known problem area for some years (and had suffered a similar but smaller collapse in February 2014). Remedial work was carried out to remove more than 350,000 tons of material, reprofile the cutting walls and improve drainage. In the meantime, all Chiltern services from London and all CrossCountry services from Reading and the South Coast terminated at Banbury; a rail replacement bus service ran to Leamington Spa for onward connections to Birmingham New Street, Manchester Piccadilly, the East Midlands and the North East. Network Rail reopened the line on 13 March 2015, three weeks earlier than originally estimated. ^{[24] [25]}

2016 signal box demolitions

Both Banbury South and North signal boxes were demolished in mid-2016: the South box on 10 August and the North box on 8 October. Tours of the North box were run between 10 August and 2 October with commemorative tickets issued. The lever frames from the North box were moved to Ironbridge to be preserved. The nameboards from both boxes were presented by Network Rail to the Great Western Trust at Didcot Railway Centre where one of them is on display in The Signalling Centre. ^[26]

See also

• History of Banbury, Oxfordshire

References

1. Turner, John Grey (7 October 2007). "Banbury station relief line and sidings" (photograph).
2. Trackmaps (2005). Railway Track Diagrams. Vol. Book 3 (4th ed.). Trackmaps. Diagram 13B. ISBN   0-9549866-1-X.
3. "A selection of Great Western stations". The Great Western archive. John Daniel. 15 March 2011.
4. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 26. ISBN   1-85260-508-1. R508.
5. Crossley, Alan (ed.); Colvin, Christina; Cooper, Janet; Cooper, N.H.; Harvey, P.D.A.; Hollings, Marjory; Hook, Judith; Jessup, Mary; Lobel, Mary D.; Mason, J.F.A.; Trinder, B.S.; Turner, Hilary (1972). A History of the County of Oxford, Volume 10. Victoria County History. pp. 18–28.{{cite book}}: |first1= has generic name (help)
6. "Application for a licence for refreshment rooms at the G.W.R. station" . Banbury Advertiser. England. 11 February 1904. Retrieved 30 January 2017– via British Newspaper Archive.
7. "Cross-Country Routes". Mike's Railway History. EngRailHistory. May 2008.
8. "Station Name: Banbury Merton Street". Disused Stations. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
9. Slater, J.N., ed. (July 1974). "Notes and News: Western's last "General"". Railway Magazine . 120 (879). London: IPC Transport Press Ltd: 361. ISSN   0033-8923.
10. "Leamington Spa station (GWR)". Warwickshire Railways. A brief overview of the station. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
11. Lawrence, David (2018). British Rail Architecture 1948-97. Crecy Publishing Ltd. p. 59. ISBN   9780860936855.
12. Office of the Rail Regulator data: see infobox at head of article.
13. Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (February 2003). "fig. 107". Didcot to Banbury. Western Main Lines. Midhurst: Middleton Press. ISBN   1-904474-02-0.
14. Simpson, Bill (1997). A History of the Railways of Oxfordshire. Vol. Part 1: The North. Banbury and Witney: Lamplight. p. 28. ISBN   1-899246-02-9.
15. Route 17 West Midlands (PDF). Route Plans 2007. London: Network Rail. 2007. p. 35.
16. Plumb, Geoff (February 2011). Pigott, Nick (ed.). "New Semaphores at Banbury". The Railway Magazine . Vol. 157, no. 1318. Horncastle: Mortons Media. p. 10. ISSN   0033-8923.
17. "Railway upgrade in Banbury area means Chiltern line will close for nine days" (Press release). Network Rail. 19 July 2016. Archived from the original on 29 August 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
18. "Download our timetable". Chiltern Railways. 2 June 2024. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
19. "Train Times". Great Western Railway. 2 June 2024. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
20. "Train Timetables". CrossCountry. 2 June 2024. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
21. "Train Fire is out". Oxford Mail . Newsquest. 14 March 2008.
22. "Landslip stops Chiltern Line trains at Harbury Tunnel". BBC News. 2 February 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
23. "Harbury Tunnel landslip to close railway for several weeks" (Press release). Network Rail. Archived from the original on 4 February 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
24. "Harbury landslip line to reopen three weeks early". Railnews. 4 March 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
25. Network Rail Website Retrieved 20 April 2015
26. Sproule, Luke (1 August 2016). "End of an era at Banbury station as signalmen work last shift". Oxford Mail . Retrieved 9 August 2016.

External links

• Train times and station information for Banbury railway station from National Rail
• "Signals at Banbury". Horsham: Adrian the Rock. 4 June 2006. Retrieved 21 September 2009.

52°03′36″N1°19′41″W / 52.060°N 1.328°W / 52.060; -1.328