Great Western Railway (GWR) has resumed direct train services from Bristol to Oxford, via Swindon, after more than two decades. The route, which had not been in operation since 2003, restarted this week and runs from Monday to Saturday.
Service Details
The direct GWR service from Bristol Temple Meads to Oxford runs every two hours throughout the week and also on Saturdays. It calls at Bath, Chippenham, Swindon, and Oxford. The stretch from Swindon to Oxford takes less than 30 minutes, making it nearly 10 minutes quicker than the current fastest weekday route.
Journey Times
The first Bristol service leaves at 7:14 am on a Monday, arriving into Swindon at 7:59 am and Oxford at 8:32 am. Travellers from Oxford to Bristol can catch the 7:00 am service, arriving into Swindon at 7:30 am and Temple Meads at 8:20 am.
Background
The direct journey was resurrected after the Office of Rail and Road approved a GWR bid to run the service from Bristol to Oxford. Marcus Jones, Network Rail western route director, said: "These links will make it easier for people to travel between key economic centres, opening up new opportunities for work, education and leisure, while we continue to deliver further improvements across the route in the months ahead."
Mark Hopwood, GWR managing director, added: "We are confident that these new services demonstrate the value of rail in driving economic growth, environmental benefits, and creating education and employment opportunities."
Local Reaction
A spokesperson for Swindon Borough Council commented: "It was great to see GWR's new daily two-hourly direct rail service between Swindon and Oxford departing the platform. We hope that if the service proves popular, trains will run every hour. Evidence gathered by England's Economic Heartland demonstrates that improved east–west connectivity along the Swindon to Oxford corridor would deliver substantial economic, environmental and social benefits by strengthening labour mobility, supporting innovation, and reducing car dependency."
The council added that a strengthened Swindon to Oxford link would "form a cornerstone" of a future Thames Valley transport strategy, aligning with wider ambitions for greater regional coordination and devolved transport powers.
