Oxford Parkway at Water Eaton

Fri 13 Nov 2015, 01:04 (last edited on Fri 13 Nov 2015, 01:06)

Malcolm, I don't know which bits of the continent you have been using the trains in but I defy you to try travelling around much of France, to take but one example, on railway routes away from the TGV network or the big cities and come away with the idea that their train services are better than in the UK. Ours may not be up to Swiss standards, but then pretty much no one else is either.

And the fares are lower for the simple reason that their governments put in many more millions of pounds in the first place and don't have policies to increase the share of the costs paid directly by passengers, which has been the case here for a good 20 years, or, in the case of a number of projects to improve railways in Switzerland, because the population has voted in referenda to spend money on rail rather than roads.

As for GWR advances, the idea staff have been told not to tell you about the cheapest fares is simply not true. The rail companies and their staff are under a legal obligation to do just that.

These tickets are sold by quota, so you are highly unlikely to find a £6 fare the afternoon of the day before travel but I have just asked the GWR website for fares on November 26 and there is a £6 advance single from Charlbury to Paddington available at the not exactly ungodly hour of 10.08, with one for £8 in the other direction at 13.22. On December 10, there is a £10 ticket on the 09.42 to London, or £6 on the 10.08, and £6 or £10 tickets on most of the trains from London around lunchtime or £6 on the 21.48. Go into January and you can book £10 tickets on the morning peak trains into London (or £6 at 0831) or £10 on the 17.22 and 18.22 back.

Thu 12 Nov 2015, 23:18

Russell, a saving of ....say 28 miles in the car and quite a bit of time . I'm sure the parking will be much the same, but this will increase as the demand rises. The fares will also find " market rate " once things have settled down a bit. Once I had got started and warm in the car , off to Hillindon Station and park up , then the tube in.
A new broom always sweet clean !

Thu 12 Nov 2015, 23:18 (last edited on Thu 12 Nov 2015, 23:21)

Why an hour to get to Oxford Parkway when it's before the roadworks? I would allow 45 minutes, including time to park and pay.

Google maps says 25 mins and is probably about right. But I haven't tried it at that hour. You turn left before the Pear Tree roundabout on the A4260, as if going to Sainsbury's at Kidlington, then right at the big roundabout.

Thu 12 Nov 2015, 21:48

Probably take you a good hour given the road works around the Oxford bypass. Easier to walk down the hill to the local station.

Thu 12 Nov 2015, 20:25

Has anyone driven to Oxford parkway from Charlbury , departing Charlbury at say 7.30 mid week to use the train service and if so, how long does this take please ?

Fri 6 Nov 2015, 21:21 (last edited on Fri 6 Nov 2015, 21:44)

Not according to GWR - First Great Western is to make 10,000 seats-a-month available from just £10 for passengers travelling between the North Cotswolds and London.
https://www.gwr.com/about-us/media-centre/news/2015/april/10000-seats-at-gbp10-for-north-cotswold-passengers

I understand staff have been told not to tell passengers about discounted tickets. GWR claim "Advance Purchase tickets are available up until 18.00 on the day of before you travel and allow you to save up to 70% by booking in advance."
I think its just fiction and GWR spin to fend off criticism of the 90% fare increases earlier this year. I have never ever found any cheap £10 advance tickets available on the GWR First web site from Charlbury. Perhaps they are only available at some ungodly hour of the night or early morning.
Rail fares in the UK IMO are a national disgrace, I had to pay £110 for a return trip to Bristol the other week. I could have had a weeks package holiday in Spain including flights for about the same money. The conundrum is that the taxpayer is still subsidising the railways with many millions of pounds. Why is it that our continental cousins seem to be able to provide better services at much less cost than we can?

Fri 6 Nov 2015, 20:14

We managed to get 2 return tickets to Paddington with a 2 together railcard, with Redspottedhanky, for a total cost of £23 - absolute bargain! Only works if you are prepared to commit well in advance of travel, but it worked for us by using single tickets to make up the journey.

Fri 6 Nov 2015, 18:22

it must be the Large feline animal that has been spotted in Charlbury a while ago

Fri 6 Nov 2015, 18:21

Virgin Trains, Crosscountry.co.uk, Raileasy.co.uk and Redspottedhanky.com all often have advance tickets for Charlbury to London & return when GWR can find none!

Fri 6 Nov 2015, 18:16

Dick Wittington I presume

Fri 6 Nov 2015, 16:14

I hope your cat is up to the journey!

Fri 6 Nov 2015, 12:20

I have just tried to book a journey to London next week and got a reply "no bookable tickets available" for either out or return journeys, so presumably the only option from GWR is £62.40 open return. I will therefore reluctantly use my cat to Oxford Parkway and pay £24.70 for the journey.

Thu 5 Nov 2015, 17:08

I have just found out that the company running the parking at Oxford Parkway is different from the usual suspects. It is called Whooshpay and the code for the station is 2074 if you want to pay on-line

Tue 3 Nov 2015, 14:40

When on Excel don't forget a column for the pint for Richard!!

Fri 30 Oct 2015, 17:57

Thanks all for your input. I think it's time for Excel!

Fri 30 Oct 2015, 14:38 (last edited on Fri 30 Oct 2015, 14:42)

Thank you, William, for the reminder about the Friday late train. I do know about it, but it's usually other days of the week that I want to come back late.

I should also have said that the other temptation for using OXP is the appalling crowding on the cheap trains on weekdays from & to Charlbury. The 10.08 is usually only 3 coaches long, often only 2 coaches, with standing & crowding for the last part of the journey -- it's usually also a really old train, with broken window catches, loo door handles etc.

The 19.22 back is also a real scrum -- last night was just awful: standing in all the carriages; lengthy delays as far as Reading because of signalling failures; & no refreshments either. Since platforms are not usually announced until a few minutes before, it's a real disincentive to using it for those with heavy luggage or impaired mobility. Otherwise it's standing only -- usually to Slough, often until Reading.

Fri 30 Oct 2015, 14:20

Not forgetting that if you are able to book in advance and don't mind being obliged to use specified trains, GWR advance single fares from Charlbury and other Cotswold Line stations start from as little as £6 off-peak but as Michael Flanagan says it is down to the journey each individual is making and when - and how much time and patience they have to spend working out all the options...

PS: Christine, from December 18 there will be a late train back from Paddington on Friday nights at 23.18 (00.37 from Oxford), running up the Cotswold Line as far as Moreton-in-Marsh. It is an experiment at this stage but if it proves popular should become a permanent fixture, with the possibility of running on some other nights as well or being extended on to Worcester.

Fri 30 Oct 2015, 10:40

It's possible to do Charlbury-Paddington with a railcard, leaving off-peak but returning on a peak evening train, for around £32, or £26 if you're prepared to add 15 minutes to your evening journey. I am loth to explain how on the public forum lest anyone from GWR notices the loophole and closes it, but I'm happy to explain via private message (or you can buy me a pint in the Rose & Crown :) ).

Fri 30 Oct 2015, 10:05 (last edited on Fri 30 Oct 2015, 10:09)

Hannan, pricing & costs are not straightforward. It depends on the time you travel out & back, also how far it is to walk to Charlbury station from your house (given that the parking is usually impossible there after 9).

For me there are 4 temptations for Oxford Parkway: (1) I can use an open return to come back in between the times of 14.20 p.m. and 19.20 p.m. at only £3 more than I currently pay for a weekday offpeak supersaver with my railcard (£24.70 as opposed to £41.20 for a weekday peak-time return);(2) the late trains (23.10 will enable me to get back from evening events); (3) the availability of parking (4) Marylebone is often more convenient than Paddington, being a short walk away from Baker Street tube and buses.

But really OXP only makes sense in terms of time if you drive. (It is at Water Eaton P&R, between Summertown and Kidlington.) The 500 bus has been extended to & from Oxford Station, but from Charlbury can most easily be picked up in Summertown -- S3 bus to South Parade on the Woodstock Rd, walk along South Parade & then turn left & pick it up outside Laura Ashley. All of the no. 2 buses also stop near Water Eaton (about a 3 minute walk away).

Fri 30 Oct 2015, 09:37

"Can anyone give some examples of a like for like comparison?"

No. Only you can.

If you live in the middle of Charlbury, without a Railcard, it'll cost £32.80 after 1000 for a day return to Paddington, returning before 1600 or after 1830, and will take 75 mins each way.

Same journey via Parkway to Marylebone, parking for less than 11 hrs, will cost £26.70, plus petrol, and take a minimum of 80-odd mins. Plus - crucially - in a family of more than one, the cost of one more car than you need. You can save all that with a bus pass, but it'll add a good hour each way. Parkway's got a more generous definition of "offpeak", and has earlier trains to London, and later trains back.

For some people who have to drive to the station anyway, Parkways's always going to be cheaper and quicker: for some who always walk to Charlbury station, Parkway's going to cost more sometime (always if you cost in an extra car) and always take longer.

For many, Parkway will be cheaper or quicker for many journeys, and Charlbury for others. Some London-bound train journeys are now possible via Parkway that weren't before, and Parkway will be almost useless for others (like going to Heathrow or Gatwick)

Which option works better varies by traveller, by journey and by the value you place on your time and on how many cars you believe you need.

If you're happy to cycle to Parkway, a whole nuther set of sums are necessary.

Thu 29 Oct 2015, 18:32

This is all good stuff, but I'm now Confused of Charlbury! Can anyone give some examples of a like for like comparison? E.g. If I go to London on a weekday (daily return) am I going to save money and time? Ditto a day trip on Saturday. I have a Senior Railcard...
Actually not even sure where the new station is (precisely.)

Thu 29 Oct 2015, 18:00

Thanks to Peter for the link, this additionally reveals that the daily rate (presumably more than 11 hours and up to 24 hours?) is £4, weekly rate £14, monthly rate £56 and annual rate£560

Thu 29 Oct 2015, 15:28

Parking Charges and other details can be found here

www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/OXP/details.html

Thu 29 Oct 2015, 14:36 (last edited on Thu 29 Oct 2015, 14:39)

The parking was certainly free on Monday - but there was someone still working on the ticket machines at lunchtime, so Chiltern may not have had a choice that day. For obvious reasons, the fees are the same as for the adjacent Water Eaton bus park-and-ride, so £2 for up to 11 hours and £4 for up to 24 hours but I don't know the weekly, monthly or annual fees. The day rates are far less than charges at other Chiltern stations, including both those in Bicester and at Banbury, where the peak-hour fee is £7 and off-peak is £4.50 - without the presence of the bus park-and-ride it seems reasonable to assume the Parkway would have been this sort of price as well.

Tue 27 Oct 2015, 21:15

The charge for parking a car will, as it does in Charlbury , make people look for free spaces to park.
Are the parking fees known ? Or free to start with ........then introduce them at a later stage

Tue 27 Oct 2015, 10:14

I see that the Kidlington Sainsbury's (a shortish walk away) has just imposed a 3-hour limit on its car park. Could this be in anticipation of the Water Eaton car park filling up with commuters' cars from miles around?

Tue 27 Oct 2015, 09:07

No! But later than the trains from Paddington, and they are every half hour until the last one or two. If you have a railcard, it's about £16 return for an adult. And it only takes an hour. And Water Eaton is much nearer/cheaper/quicker to drive to than Thornhill. Swings and roundabouts. www.chilternrailways.co.uk/sites/default/files/files/timetables/Pocket%20TT%207%20BIT-ISP-OXF%20web.pdf

Mon 26 Oct 2015, 20:02

Ah, but do they run all the way through the night, John, as the buses do?!

Mon 26 Oct 2015, 10:46

Will probably use it in preference to the Oxford Tube or X90 coaches from Thrnhill. Note the Marylebone trains are every 30 minutes, a point not made elsewhere!

Mon 26 Oct 2015, 07:37

I'm thinking about it... My regular team meetings are at Marylebone. Need to double check costs.

Mon 26 Oct 2015, 07:05

How many of you are going to use this in preference to Charlbury station ?