Summary
Improved rail connectivity in the county will help reduce carbon emissions, provide better access to jobs and services, and enhance the efficiency of the transport network by reducing journey times and increasing capacity.
The Future Oxfordshire Partnership (now called the Oxfordshire Leaders Joint Committee) jointly commissioned and funded the Oxfordshire Rail Corridor Study (ORCS) with the Department for Transport (DFT) to assesses the impact of growth in jobs and housing on Oxfordshire’s rail system and identify the role that rail can play to support this. The study was conducted between March 2019 and January 2020, before the onset of COVID-19, and was published in June 2021.
Key Outputs
The ORCS, published in 2021, provided a strategic vision for the proposed development of rail services in Oxfordshire, aligning major programmes of work on the rail network within the county. Recommendations from the ORCS were brought together in an overarching industry strategy for the county known as ‘Oxfordshire Connect’.
Download the Oxfordshire Rail Corridor Study (ORCS)Current Status
The ORCS study has facilitated the Oxford Station & Area Upgrade work and the planned re-opening of the Cowley Branch Line.
The Oxford Station & Area Upgrade work currently underway will enable greener travel by providing better access to the station entrance, delivering extra rail capacity, getting more freight off roads and onto rail, and enhacing cycling, walking and bus infrastructure at the station.
In addition, the planned re-opening of the Cowley Branch Line will improve Oxfordshire’s rail infrastructure and transform our connectivity. Both of these projects were identified as a priorities thanks to the Oxfordshire Rail Corridor Study (ORCS) undertaken on behalf of the FOP (now called the OLJC).
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