The first direct train service between Oxford and Bristol in more than 20 years will run this Saturday.
The Great Western Railway (GWR) service will leave Bristol Temple Meads at 10.18am on September 14 and will arrive in Oxford at 11.29am.
The first service from Oxford to Bristol Temple Meads will then leave at 12.03pm.
The restoration of this direct service comes in response to growing demand for leisure travel by train, with the last direct service having run in 2003.
GWR will operate two return Saturday services between the cities from this weekend, with a second train leaving Bristol for Oxford at 3.18pm and another making the return journey at 5.12pm.
Customers travelling between the two cities will be able to enjoy iconic sights with the quickest direct journey times starting from one hour and 11 minutes.
The new services are part of a trial to assess demand and will run until December, throughout the period of the Bath and Oxford Christmas markets.
GWR managing director, Mark Hopwood, said: "We’re always looking at innovative ways of creating new business and improving connectivity.
"Changing customer patterns since Covid have provided a clear opportunity for us to expand our leisure offering and the Bristol-Oxford route is one which offers real potential."
GWR said new services will provide a significant economic boost.
Councillor Louise Upton, cabinet member for planning at Oxford City Council, said: "An Oxford to Bristol service is a game-changer for the region, linking two dynamic economic areas and opening up new opportunities for business and leisure.
"For the first time in 20 years, we will be able to get on a train in Oxford and get off it in Bristol. This makes travel to the whole southwest easier and faster.
"This project helps unlock our city’s growth potential as well as helping to alleviate traffic congestion around Oxford. It’s a smart, sustainable step forward."
The new services, which will stop at Swindon, Bath Spa, and Chippenham, will also improve connections between these towns and the larger cities.
Councillor Jim Robbins, leader of Swindon Borough Council, said: "We are delighted that GWR is launching the new service as it will make it much easier for local residents to travel to Oxford and beyond.
"We have already seen improvements to our excellent rail links to Bath and Bristol through the electrification of the main line and this new temporary service will improve that still further.
"I hope the trial is a great success and it leads to permanent and more frequent services."
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