Oxford’s Botley Road reopened to traffic on 20 September after more than three years shut, but Network Rail says infrastructure around the station cannot yet support East West Rail services.

Oxford station footbridge and platforms behind construction barriers
Construction barriers and equipment beside the platforms at Oxford station. Photo: Peter Trimming / Geograph Britain and Ireland / CC BY-SA 2.0

Network Rail confirmed the reopening on the morning of 20 September, when drivers, bus passengers, cyclists and pedestrians could use the route again. The road had been closed under the railway bridge next to Oxford station since April 2023, while a new bridge went in and the road beside the station was rebuilt to a new layout.

The closure belonged to the wider programme expanding Oxford station and upgrading the area around it. Network Rail says that programme will add capacity at one of Britain’s busiest rail junctions.

Delays behind the Botley Road closure

After construction began in 2023, engineers found a Victorian brick arch under the road that no survey or record had shown. They also faced complicated diversions of drainage and water pipes. Network Rail says the arch and the search for a suitable place to connect water mains set the work back by 18 months. In January 2025 it launched a new programme that put reopening the road first, with August 2026 as the target.

That date held until July, when digging for the drainage of the new road layout exposed a section of gas pipe directly beneath the road. Network Rail says three minor leaks were found on SGN’s gas network. It agreed that SGN should replace that section alongside the remaining construction. Reopening moved from the end of August to 20 September. Network Rail says doing the gas work now avoids further disruption later.

Tim Walden, Capital Delivery Director for Network Rail’s Wales & Western region, said:

“We know the closure of Botley Road has had a significant impact on residents, businesses and everyone who relies on this route, and we are sorry for the disruption and frustration it has caused.”

Botley Road: key dates from the 2023 closure to the next steps
Date What happens Source
April 2023 Road closed under the railway bridge by Oxford station Network Rail
24 January 2025 New programme puts reopening the road first Network Rail
July 2026 Reopening set for 20 September after gas leaks delay the end-of-August plan Network Rail
19 September 2026 Last day of the free Botley Flyer minibus Oxfordshire County Council
20 September 2026 Road reopens; new footbridge links Becket Street car park with the station front Network Rail; Oxfordshire County Council
28 September 2026 Traffic filters trial replaces the temporary congestion charge Oxfordshire County Council
14 October 2026 Network Rail stakeholder session on next steps, Osney Mead Network Rail

The closure lasted from April 2023 to 20 September 2026, and the traffic filters trial and a Network Rail update session follow within four weeks of the reopening. Sources: Network Rail, Oxfordshire Connect; Network Rail, Botley Road bridge replacement; Oxfordshire County Council.

Buses, bikes and drivers on the new road layout

The new bridge gives 4.4 metres of headroom, which Oxfordshire County Council says suits most road vehicles, including every local double-decker bus. The county’s main bus companies timed service changes to the reopening. All buses on Botley Road now continue into the city centre, and Seacourt Park and Ride services run straight there instead of stopping at Osney Island. Under the bridge, a 4-metre walkway and cycleway runs on each side of the road, with cycling one-way in the direction of traffic. A new footbridge connects Becket Street car park with the front of the station.

For drivers, the council’s temporary congestion charge gives way on 28 September to a traffic filters trial at the same six sites, after which cars without a permit can no longer pay £5 to pass a filter. With Botley Road open, the council says every part of Oxford can be reached by car without going through a filter. The trial can last up to 18 months.

Train services are not affected. However, the temporary assistance gate for passengers with reduced mobility, between Platform 4 and Roger Dudman Way, closed from 20 September.

Travelling past the Botley Road bridge: during the closure and from 20 September 2026
Road user During the closure From 20 September 2026
Bus passengers Buses ended at stops on either side of the bridge; passengers walked under it to change All buses on Botley Road continue into the city centre
Seacourt Park and Ride users Buses stopped at Osney Island Buses go straight to the centre; Oxford Bus Company’s 400 returns, up to every 10 minutes; £3 combined parking and bus ticket
Cyclists and scooter users Asked to dismount on the walkway during construction Ride under the bridge on one-way cycleways on each side, with the traffic
Passengers with reduced mobility Temporary assistance gate between Platform 4 and Roger Dudman Way; free Botley Flyer minibus to the centre Gate closed; Botley Flyer replaced by commercial bus services
Drivers No through route at the bridge Botley Road open; the temporary £5 congestion charge applies until 28 September, when a filters trial starts and cars without a permit can no longer pay to pass

All buses on Botley Road now run through to the city centre, while drivers lose the option of paying to pass a traffic filter from 28 September. Sources: Oxfordshire County Council; Network Rail, Oxfordshire Connect; Network Rail, Botley Road bridge replacement.

Oxford station capacity and East West Rail

Network Rail calls the reopening a milestone for the Oxford station programme, yet it also says the rail infrastructure around the station is close to full capacity and cannot currently handle the launch of East West Rail services. It links the new road layout to future East West Rail trains between Oxford and Milton Keynes and to a scheme that would reopen the Cowley Branch Line.

Cllr Bethia Thomas, Leader of Vale of White Horse District Council, welcomed the reopening in a statement on 15 September but criticised the repeated delays. She said:

“There are still serious questions to be answered to understand the management of the whole project; these need to be addressed and improved before the next phase of works start at the station.”

On the East West Rail side, the rebuilt Bicester–Bletchley section was handed to Network Rail in December 2024. Chiltern Railways, appointed in 2025 as the passenger operator, is working with the Department for Transport to settle how Oxford–Milton Keynes services will be introduced, and East West Railway Company gives no start date.