New direct train service from Bristol to start this weekend
A new direct train service from Bristol begins this weekend. Great Western Railway (GWR) has reintroduced its direct service between Bristol Temple Meads and Oxford for the first time in two decades.
The new service will set off at 12.03pm today, Saturday, September 14 after the last direct service ran in 2003. The move to reintroduce the service comes as a response to the increasing demand for travel by train, prompting GWR to operate two return Saturday services between the cities starting from Saturday 14 September.
Customers can now enjoy iconic sights of these two popular destinations with the quickest direct journey times between the two cities starting from just one hour and 11 minutes.
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GWR has submitted a request to operate the following services from 14th September, with stops at Bath Spa, Chippenham and Swindon:
10.18am Bristol Temple Meads to Oxford. Calling at Bath Spa 10.31am, Chippenham at 10.44am, Swindon at 10.58am and Oxford, 11.29am.
12.03pm Oxford toBristol Temple Meads. Calling at Swindon at 12.34pm, Chippenham at 12.45pm, Bath Spa at 1pm and Bristol Temple Meads at 1.12pm.
3.18pm Bristol Temple Meads to Oxford. Calling at Bath Spa at 3.31pm, Chippenham at 3.45pm, Swindon at 4pm and Oxford at 4.31pm.
5.12pm Oxford to Bristol Temple Meads. Calling at Swindon at 5.46pm, Chippenham at 5.58pm, Bath Spa at 6.11pm and Bristol Temple Meads at 6.23pm.
GWR Managing Director Mark Hopwood said: "We're always looking at innovative ways of creating new business and improving connectivity. Changing customer patterns since Covid have provided a clear opportunity for us to expand our leisure offering and the Bristol-Oxford route is one which offers real potential."
Matt Griffith, Director of Policy, Business West, added: "A direct service between Oxford, Swindon, Bath and Bristol would be a real boost to the region and the benefits of living and doing business here. Having direct connectivity between some of the world's best Universities, businesses and tourist attractions is a fantastic positive and we think will prove very popular.
"We hope this new 'brain train' service will grow from strength to strength and make residents, business and investors really excited about all that the great western region has to offer."
Councillor Louise Upton, Cabinet Member for Planning at Oxford City Council, hailed the new direct services to and from Oxford towards Bristol and beyond as a significant economic boost. She said: "An Oxford to Bristol service is a game-changer for the region, linking two dynamic economic areas and opening up new opportunities for business and leisure. For the first time in 20 years, we will be able to get on a train in Oxford and get off it in Bristol! This makes travel to the whole southwest easier and faster. This project helps unlock our city's growth potential as well as helping to alleviate traffic congestion around Oxford. It's a smart, sustainable step forward."
The new services, which also stop at Swindon, promise improved connections between the larger cities and the town. Councillor Jim Robbins, Leader of Swindon Borough Council, expressed his delight at the launch of the new service by Great Western Railway.
He said: "We are delighted that Great Western Railway is launching the new service as it will make it much easier for local residents to travel to Oxford and beyond.
"We have already seen improvements to our excellent rail links to Bath and Bristol through the electrification of the main line and this new temporary service will improve that still further. I hope the trial is a great success and it leads to permanent and more frequent services."