Going to London - considered Bicester North?

Tue 7 Aug 2007, 12:45

You said you were expecting derision Dave so far be it from me to disappoint you! Some flaws in your argument:

1. You say that the service on the Chiltern Line has been "far superior and ultimately quicker and more reliable" than that on the Cotswold Line over the last two weeks. Can I point out that for the first of those two weeks there was no rail service on the Cotswold Line at all (taxis and the occasional coach do not constitute a rail service in my opinion) and that for the second there was only a sporadic shuttle service to Oxford (i.e. no through trains to London)? You are not really comparing like with like are you? Regular users of this Forum will know that I the last person on earth to jump to the defence of FGW but I don't think you can really blame them because the track was washed away as a result of extreme weather.

2. You say that it takes 25 minutes to drive to Bicester North but is this always the case? Are there never traffic jams, roadworks, RTAs, etc. that slow you down and add to your journey time?

3. When you add in the costs of petrol for your drive to/from Bicester North and parking at the station is it actually cheaper than travelling by train from Charlbury?

4. You say that Marylebone is closer to central London than Paddington by Tube but if you do the smart thing and take a seven-minute walk from Paddington to Lancaster Gate then it is in fact the same number of stops to Oxford Circus by either route (Bakerloo or Central Line). I think Central Line trains generally run slightly more frequently than those on the Bakerloo so the journey times are probably much the same.

5. Chiltern Turbos may be smarter and more comfortable than the FGW version but we do have much more spacious and comfortable HSTs and Adelantes operating many of our peak-time services.

6. I agree with you that Chiltern trains are generally on time; FGW would no doubt argue that CR have a much easier network to operate (no single line) but in my opinion CR seem to take more pride in their service and make a real effort to run on time.

7. Finally (and gratuitously), if I had to listen to Sarah Kennedy in the morning and Chris Evans in the evening then I would want to throw myself under a train rather than climb onboard one!

Of course, if everyone with a car follows Dave's example then Charlbury station will be closed due to lack of use and those of us without a car will be stuck here in perpetuity. A sobering thought.