Bicester Village  | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Class 168s at Bicester Village | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Bicester,Cherwell District England | ||||
| Coordinates | 51°53′35″N1°08′55″W / 51.8931°N 1.1485°W /51.8931; -1.1485 | ||||
| Grid reference | SP586219 | ||||
| Managed by | Chiltern Railways | ||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | BIT | ||||
| Classification | DfT category F1 | ||||
| History | |||||
| Original company | Buckinghamshire Railway | ||||
| Pre-grouping | London and North Western Railway | ||||
| Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 1 October 1850 | Opened as "Bicester" | ||||
| March 1954 | Renamed "Bicester London Road" | ||||
| 1 January 1968 | Closed | ||||
| 11 May 1987 | Reopened and renamed "Bicester Town" | ||||
| 15 February 2014 | Closed to rail traffic for line upgrade | ||||
| 12 March 2015 | Renamed "Bicester Village" | ||||
| 25 October 2015 | Reopened | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2019/20 |  2.265 million | ||||
| Interchange | 840 | ||||
| 2020/21 |  0.375 million | ||||
| Interchange | 130 | ||||
| 2021/22 | 1.178 million | ||||
| Interchange | 509 | ||||
| 2022/23 | 1.611 million | ||||
| Interchange | 616 | ||||
| 2023/24 | 1.760 million | ||||
| Interchange | 832 | ||||
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Bicester Village (2015–present, previouslyBicester Town 1987–2014,Bicester London Road 1954–1968,Bicester 1850–1954) is one of tworailway stations serving the market town ofBicester inOxfordshire, alongsideBicester North. It is 12 miles (19 km) northeast ofOxford on theOxford–Bicester line near its junction with theChiltern Main Line. The renamed Bicester Village station reopened on 25 October 2015 with trains initially running betweenOxford Parkway andLondon Marylebone. All trains serving it are operated byChiltern Railways.
Following the reinstatement of the railway line between Bicester and Bletchley as part ofEast West Rail, Chiltern Railways expects to begin services between Oxford andMilton Keynes Central via Bicester and Bletchley from late 2025.[1]
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TheBuckinghamshire Railway, which already had a route betweenBletchley andBanbury, had powers to build a line toOxford. The first part of this line, which ran from a junction to the west ofWinslow (at a point which became known asVerney Junction) toIslip, opened on 1 October 1850, and this included a station at Bicester.[2][3] (At its maximum extent, the line extended from Oxford toCambridge andthus became known as theVarsity line). Originally named "Bicester", the station was renamed "Bicester London Road" in March 1954,[3] although the nameboards were not altered until 20 September 1954.[4]
The station was closed, along with the rest of the Oxford–Bletchley section of the Varsity Line, on 1 January 1968.[3] However, the station was used by several excursion trains through the 1970s and 1980s.
Network SouthEast reopened the station as "Bicester Town" on 11 May 1987,[5] as the terminus of theOxford to Bicester Line. From May 2009,First Great Western andOxfordshire County Council branded the line "The Bicester Link".[6] Since then, operation of the line has been transferred from FGW to Chiltern Railways.
Since 1987, the frequency of trains has varied and passenger numbers have fluctuated accordingly. In the four years 2007–2011, more frequent trains led to an increase in the total number of passengers using Bicester Town by 258%.[7]
In August 2008,Chiltern Railways announced a proposal to build a new1⁄4 mile (400 m) chord to link the Oxford-to-Bicester Line with theChiltern Main Line to carry a new service between Oxford and London viaHigh Wycombe. The single line between Bicester Town and Oxford was to be doubled and a new station built atOxford Parkway. Approval was granted in October 2012.[8]
From December 2008, the service on Mondays to Saturdays was improved, with an evening service and a doubling of the service on Saturdays. The service was increased to 11 trains Monday-to-Thursday, 12 on Fridays, and 13 on Saturdays. From May 2009, further improvements saw extra trains in the daytime on Mondays to Fridays and a new all-year-round Sunday service, with trains every 90 minutes.
On 22 May 2011,Chiltern Railways took over all passenger operations fromFirst Great Western ahead of the new service betweenLondon Marylebone and Oxford that was due to start in 2013.[9] It was later amended to 2015.
The last trains ran late on 14 February 2014[10] before the station was closed to allow upgrade of the line between Oxford and Bicester. The reopening, first planned for May 2015,[11][12] was delayed until 25 October 2015 with the official ceremony the following day.[13][14][15]
On 12 March 2015, Chiltern Railways announced that it would rename the stationBicester Village afterthe nearby designer retail outlet.[16][17] This change has been seen as controversial by many who live in Bicester who thought that it had taken place without proper consultation.[18] The outlet's presence has also led to the use ofArabic andChinese language signage and station calls in Mandarin to aid foreign travelers.[19]
Before it closed for the rebuild, the station had one platform, a covered waiting area, seats, a clock, help point and public address. There were a number of cycle stands but no ticket facilities. Passengers could buy these on the train instead. As part of the works, the station was completely rebuilt as a two-platform station, and ticket machines provided.[20]
The station has two car parks; between them they provide 230 standard spaces, plus 18 spaces for passengers with reduced mobility. The station also has parking for 60 pedal cycles and 18 motorcycles.[21] There is a shuttle bus which connects the station to the shopping village while other services also serve the station.
The station is served by a half-hourly service betweenLondon Marylebone andOxford.
| Preceding station |  National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Islip or Oxford Parkway | Chiltern Railways Oxford–Bicester line London Marylebone – Oxford | Haddenham and Thame Parkway orPrinces Risborough | ||
| Future services | ||||
| Oxford Parkway | Chiltern Railways East West Rail Oxford – Milton Keynes/Bedford | Winslow | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Wendlebury Halt Line open, station closed | London and North Western Railway Varsity Line | Launton Line and station closed | ||
As of July 2022[update], the line eastward towards Bletchley is out of service whilework is in progress on the section between Bicester and Bletchley. The route is scheduled to reopen by late 2024. Services are planned that will link Bicester toWinslow,Milton Keynes andBedford.
Once East West Rail is running, an hourlyOxford–Bedford service and half-hourly Oxford–Milton Keynes Central service are planned,[22] bringing the total number of trains between Bicester Village and Oxford to five per hour, several times the service frequency it had before rebuilding.
50,197; 05/06, 48,685;06/07, 43,950;07/08, 51,902;08/09, 59,964;09/10, 105,000;10/11, 157,000.
