A new railway bridge has been installed, alongside improved road layouts and safer walking routes for pedestrians.
The project team said the reopening represents significant progress in the long-running scheme to upgrade infrastructure around Oxford Station and pave the way for better transport links across the county.
While the road is now open, work continues in the station area.
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Drivers using Botley Road after it reopens (Image: Matthew Evans)
Upcoming improvements include the creation of a permanent junction linking Cripley Road and Roger Dudman Way, completion of two new pedestrian walkways, fencing improvements near the Westgate Hotel, and repairs to pavement slabs at Frideswide Square.
Project leaders have confirmed that both walkways will remain open while the remaining works are carried out.
But even further major developments are still planned as part of the programme.
These include construction of a new Platform 5 at Oxford Station, which is expected to increase capacity and support more train services.
Numerous delays has meant work has not yet properly started on one of the Botley Road and Oxford station project’s key aims – to provide a new Platform 5.
Platform 5 is still in a preparatory or future planning stage, with official funding and a firm timetable for its construction not yet announced.
Rose Hill and Littlemore Oxford City Councillor David Henwood recently called for the platform to be called Platform 9¾ too boost tourism thanks to the city’s links to the famous Harry Potter books.
A new western station entrance will also be built, improving access for passengers travelling to and from the city.
An artist’s impression of the new western entrance at Oxford rail station (Image: Network Rail)
Network Rail has still not released a timetable for work on the proposed new western entrance to the station, or details of funding.
Once completed, the wider Oxfordshire Connect scheme is expected to deliver a larger, more modern station capable of accommodating future growth.
Rail industry expert Paul Clifton, a former BBC transport correspondent for 30 years and a regular contributor to Rail Magazine, previously said funding for the western entrance was in doubt due to financial pressures on the rail network as a whole – largely caused by the financial demands of HS2 – a high-speed railway currently under construction, designed to connect London, the West Midlands, and other major regions.
Layla Moran MP with Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy, Network Rail CEO Andrew Haines and Tim Walden of Network Rail in 2024 (Image: Layla Moran)
Network Rail’s principal programme sponsor Giles Clark said work could start early next year, but have yet to say if this is still the case.
The upgrades will support planned improvements to rail services, including connections via the Cowley Branch Line and the long-awaited East West Rail project, which will link Oxford with destinations across the region.
The reopening of Botley Road is one of the most visible signs yet that the transformation of Oxford’s rail network is moving forward.
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