Birmingham and Oxford Junction Railway information
Birmingham and Oxford Junction Railway
Overview
Status
Historical
Owner
Great Western Railway
Locale
South East England East Midlands West Midlands
Termini
Millstream Junction, Oxford
Birmingham Snow Hill, Birmingham
Service
Type
Rural
System
Great Western Railway
Operator(s)
Great Western Railway
History
Opened
1850 (Oxford to Banbury) 1852 (Banbury to Birmingham)
Technical
Number of tracks
1–2
Track gauge
7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm) and Mixed gauge (with 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in or 1,435 mmstandard gauge)
The Birmingham and Oxford Junction Railway was an English railway line promoted by the Great Western Railway to gain a route from its southern base towards the industrial centres of the West Midlands, and in due course the north-west. It overtook another GWR subsidiary, the unbuilt Oxford and Rugby Railway, and the Birmingham Extension Railway which was to build a new independent station in the city. It was authorised in 1846 and formed a single project to connect Birmingham and Oxford.
The Great Western Railway used the broad gauge at the time; the rival narrow (standard) gauge London and North Western Railway used dubious tactics to retain the West Midlands in its own monopoly. Nevertheless the line was opened throughout in 1852. It quickly became the springboard for the anticipated expansion to the Lancashire industrial areas. However the broad gauge was not permitted to be extended north of Wolverhampton, and this proved to be the seed of the end of the broad gauge.
The route became an important corridor for express passenger trains and heavy freight flows. In 1910 the Bicester cut-off was opened, shortening the journey to the north by avoiding the route by way of Oxford. When the West Coast Main Line was electrified in the 1960s, the former GWR route declined substantially, renamed as the Chiltern Main Line, it revived in the 1980s and now carries an excellent train service to rival the West Coast Main Line.
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