30 new parking spaces planned for station
First Great Western has been awarded an extension to their franchise to last until 2019.
As part of the deal, Charlbury station will get 30 new car parking spaces, while Hanborough will get 44.
New 'Intercity Express' trains will be introduced to replace HSTs across the Great Western area, and these will provide an hourly service in each direction (to London and to Worcester) from 2017/2018. Journey times to London will be reduced by a little over five minutes. The exact timetable details are not finalised, but an early diagram appears to suggest some peak trains will call at Didcot only between Oxford and Paddington.
Finally, First Great Western is likely to be rebranded as 'GWR' in an allusion to the original Great Western Railway.
Separate improvements already announced include a revised timetable starting this May, which should make the 07.12 departure more reliable; free wifi on all trains on the Cotswold Line, including Turbos; more cycle parking at Charlbury station; and 100 new car parking spaces at Kingham. There is also likely to be a new late-night service from London to Charlbury and Moreton, but this has not yet been officially confirmed.
Richard Fairhurst · Mon 23 Mar 2015, 16:02 · Link