Oxford's 1980s built station may contrast with the beauty of the city it serves, but it provides easy access with the trains which use it.
It doesn’t always follow that an elegant city will be served by a beautiful station and sadly this applies to Oxford, though in terms of appearance the city’s station has always been unremarkable.
Not that it particularly matters if you will be taking a train to from Oxford
The two key things that are worth knowing about Oxford station are
(1) it's a comparatively simple station to use and
(2) it is well located for the city’s numerous attractions.
Platform (track) 3 is beside the station building so you will step on to it when you pass through the ticket gates.
It is usually where the trains to London Paddington depart from, as well as the Cross Country services southwards to Reading and beyond.
Platforms (tracks) 1 and 2 are terminus platforms directly linked to platform 3, over to the right; and this part of the station is where the Chiltern Railways trains to London Marylebone depart from
Platform (track) 4 is on the other side of the railway lines and is connected to the main station building by a footbridge, which can be accessed by both stairs and a lift (elevator).
The GWR trains from Paddington usually arrive at that platform and its where the Cross Country trains towards Birmingham normally depart from.
Something to watch out for at Oxford is that the departure indicators on platforms (tracks) 3 and 4 are particularly useful sources of information - they don't just show the destination and departure time.
If you have a reserved seat on a GWR or CrossCountry train they will also tell you where to wait for easy boarding into the coach in which your reserved seat(s) is located.
Train Operating Company: |
Destinations: |
(1) London Paddington via Reading and Slough (for Windsor) |
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(1) Manchester via Leamington, Coventry, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent |
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London Marylebone via Bicester Village and High Wycombe. |
If you’re thinking of making a day trip by train from London to either Oxford OR Cambridge, what might tip the balance is that Oxford station is within an easier waking distance of the historic centre of its city, than the station in Cambridge.
The heart of the most scenic part of Oxford city centre, the area around the Sheldonian Theatre is a 10 – 20 min walk from the station.
Turn right when stepping out of the station and you'll find a slope which provides step-free access to the road.
Go straight ahead on to Hythe Bridge Street, at one end of the bus station, then walk along the widened pavement with the new Business School building on your left.
Cross the Hythe Bridge and turn left on to Magdalen Street for the Ashmolean Museum.
For the Sheldonian Theatre, the Bodleian Library and the Radcliffe Camera, a picturesque route is to go ahead on to George Street, but take the first right on George Street into New Inn Hall Street and then left into St Michael Street.
The Oxford Natural History Museum is on the far side of the city centre to the station, but even its location can be reached on foot in around 15 – 25 minutes.
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This is one of more than 100 train travel guides available on ShowMeTheJourney, which will make it easier to take the train journeys you want or need to make. As always, all images were captured on trips taken by ShowMeTheJourney.