23-591: Western Link or West Link may refer to: First Great Western Link , a train operating company in the United Kingdom Western HVDC Link , a high-voltage direct current electricity link under construction in the United Kingdom See also [ edit ] Westlink (disambiguation) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
46-430: A CrossCountry Voyager forming the 16:25 service to Derby had a minor fire in the air vents while standing at platform 2. Passengers in both trains at the station and the station itself were evacuated. Fire crews arrived and the fire was extinguished; there were no reported deaths or injuries from the blaze. Between 31 January and 13 March 2015, all services north of Banbury were suspended and replaced by buses due to
69-488: A major landslide at Harbury Tunnel, north of Fenny Compton . Over 100,000 tons of earth and rock subsided on the western side of the line during ongoing work to stabilise the cutting, which had been a known problem area for some years (and had suffered a similar but smaller collapse in February 2014). Remedial work was carried out to remove more than 350,000 tons of material, reprofile the cutting walls and improve drainage. In
92-422: A single bay at its northern end, whilst the eastern island had a single through platform, but two bays, one at each end. The two islands were connected to each other and to the station entrance hall, by a footbridge. At that time, the three through platforms were numbered 1, 3 and 4 from west to east, whilst the three bays were numbered 2, 5 and 6. All but one have since been redesignated; the present-day platform 2
115-638: The Edmondson type ticket machines were replaced in the early 1980s. The current station is on the site of the Great Western Railway line that opened to Banbury in 1850. The original station's overall roof survived until 1953, five years before a rebuild in 1958. The rebuilding of the station was delayed due to the Second World War and could have been based on the GWR's new station at Leamington Spa , which
138-591: The Great Western Railway (GWR) in about 1850, the owner also sold the other part of his land, north of the Middleton road to the Banbury Freehold Land Society; this was financially backed by Cobb's Bank, on which to build middle-class houses, but development was slow at the time and some plots were never built upon. The station was going to be part of the GWR's Oxford and Rugby Railway , before
161-699: The Greater Western franchise . This was part of a Strategic Rail Authority strategy to reduce the number of train operating companies providing services from a single London terminal . This was expected to improve efficiency and reliability. In December 2005 the Department for Transport awarded the new Greater Western franchise to First with the services operated by FGWL transferring to First Great Western on 1 April 2006. [REDACTED] Media related to First Great Western Link at Wikimedia Commons Banbury railway station Banbury railway station serves
184-615: The up direction. Their numbers were BS27 and BS33, and they were controlled from Banbury South signal box. A nine-day long blockade to resignal and complete alterations to the track layout at the station layout began on 30 July 2016. Both remaining manual signal boxes were closed with new multiple aspect signalling commissioned and all lines through the station coming under the control of the West Midlands Signalling Centre at Saltley . Services at Banbury are provided by three train operating companies : On 14 March 2008,
207-520: The Strategic Rail Authority awarded the new franchise to First with the services operated by Thames Trains transferring to FGWL on 1 April 2004. On 12 June 2005 Heathrow Connect was introduced as a joint venture between FGWL and BAA . BAA supplied the Class 360 rolling stock and on-board staff. FGWL received the revenue for journeys between Paddington and Hayes & Harlington , and BAA
230-621: The east side of the station, outside the train shed, together with a transfer line to the LNWR route. In 1903, Banbury had south and north bays cut into the up platform, along with an extra bay on the downside at the north end. There was a down goods loop north of the station; all of this was to cope with traffic from the Great Central Main Line , which joined at Banbury North Junction in 1900. The inclusion of terminating bays and goods loops reflected Banbury's increasing strategic position in
253-479: The entire rail network in Britain. For example: Most cross-country services in Britain passed through Banbury, which helped the growth of the town and its cattle market. After nationalisation in 1948 , the station was renamed Banbury General to distinguish it from Banbury Merton Street station. Merton Street was closed in 1966, and the suffix was officially discontinued by 1974, although it remained on tickets until
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#1732856058167276-612: The historic market town of Banbury in Oxfordshire , England . The station is a stop on the Chiltern Main Line ; it is operated by Chiltern Railways and has four platforms in use. Banbury Bridge Street station opened on 2 September 1850, some four months after the Buckinghamshire Railway ( L&NWR ) opened its Banbury Merton Street terminus. When meadows and the recently disused racecourse at Grimsbury were sold to
299-631: The meantime, all Chiltern services from London and all CrossCountry services from Reading and the South Coast terminated at Banbury; a rail replacement bus service ran to Leamington Spa for onward connections to Birmingham New Street, Manchester Piccadilly, the East Midlands and the North East. Network Rail reopened the line on 13 March 2015, three weeks earlier than originally estimated. Both Banbury South and North signal boxes were demolished in mid-2016:
322-414: The national network. In 1904, the refreshment rooms were rebuilt to the designs of Percy Emerson Culverhouse . The station was rebuilt into its present form in 1958. Banbury was once a junction for the line to Buckingham , which closed in the 1960s. There was also another station nearby at Banbury Merton Street . Banbury Bridge Street station occupied one of the most strategic and important locations in
345-473: The problems with changing gauges at Rugby prevented it. The 24-mile (39 km) single track extension from Oxford to Banbury did open. At first, Banbury was just a single platform through station (works were continuing to Birmingham); however, the popularity of the line meant that the route was soon double tracked barely two years later and the station was given an extra platform in an up and down configuration. By 1882, an extra up goods line had been laid on
368-649: The revenue for journeys between Hayes & Harlington and Heathrow Airport . FGWL ran services along the Great Western Main Line from London Paddington to Didcot with services continuing to north to Oxford , Bicester Town , Hereford and Stratford-upon-Avon . It also operated services on the Greenford , Windsor & Eton Central , Marlow , Henley and Bedwyn lines and on the Reading to Basingstoke and North Downs lines. The Stratford-upon-Avon service
391-681: The short nature of the franchise and the fact that the Class 165s and 166s had only recently been repainted, the Thames Trains livery of white, blue and green was retained with FGWL branding applied. FGWL's fleet was maintained at Reading TMD . On 6 November 2002 as part of a franchise reorganisation by the Strategic Rail Authority , it was announced that the Great Western, Thames Trains and Wessex Trains franchises would be combined to form
414-449: The station; most of these were for goods services stopping at Banbury, which have all disappeared. Two goods loops survive to allow the stoppage of goods trains for the uninterrupted passage of passenger trains. The station is being considered for remodelling to improve operational flexibility by Network Rail . Two new lower-quadrant semaphore signals were installed in late 2010, to allow passenger trains in platforms 1 and 2 to depart in
437-500: The title Western Link . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Western_Link&oldid=673853013 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages First Great Western Link First Great Western Link (FGWL)
460-600: Was a train operating company in England owned by FirstGroup that operated the Thames franchise from April 2004 until March 2006. In April 2003 the Strategic Rail Authority invited FirstGroup and Go-Ahead to bid for a two-year extension to the Thames franchise that would coincide with the end date of the First Great Western franchise, after which both would become part of the Greater Western franchise . In November 2003
483-402: Was finished just before war commenced. The new station of 1958 was designed by Howard Cavanagh . Passenger traffic at Banbury has grown rapidly; between 2003 and 2010, the number of passengers using the station increased by 85%. After the rebuilding of the station in 1956–58, there were six numbered platforms. These were formed into two islands: the western one having two through tracks and
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#1732856058167506-441: Was formerly platform 3, whilst the unnumbered bay at its northern end was originally platform 2, and present-day platforms 3 and 4 were formerly platforms 4 and 6 respectively. Platform 5, at the northern end of the present platform 3, has lost both its track and its number. The present station has four numbered platforms, numbered 1 to 4 from west to east, grouped as two island platforms: Many redundant loops and sidings surround
529-455: Was transferred to Chiltern Railways in December 2004 with FGWL ceasing to operate beyond Banbury . FGWL inherited a fleet of Class 165s and 166s from Thames Trains. A franchise commitment was to use five Class 180 Adelantes from sister company First Great Western on Cotswold Line services from December 2004, releasing five Class 165s for transfer to Chiltern Railways . Because of
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