Banbury Station: Closures and diversions with work to begin

From Thursday, October 24, diversions will be in place as Oxfordshire County Council starts the project to improve access to the station.

A new route linking Tramway Road with Station Approach Road and the station forecourt will be built, and the finished project will also feature new bus stops, cycleways, and footways.

Councillor Judy Roberts, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for infrastructure and development strategy, said: "If you use the train station, or travel along Tramway Road, please take a moment to plan ahead to avoid delays while we construct these very welcome improvements.

"Follow all signs and diversion routes for your own safety. Please bear with us while we construct these improvements.

How Tramway Road will look following the work (Image: Oxfordshire County Council) "When finished, the new route will make it easier to access the station and improve journey times for buses, taxis, pedestrians, and cyclists, particularly those travelling from southern Banbury and Banbury town centre."

From October 24, pedestrians, cyclists, and those being dropped off by car will have no access to the station via Tramway Road until April 2025.

This is to allow for the construction of the new footpath and road layout.

A diversion will be in place via Tramway Road, Swan Close, the A4260, Bridge Street, and Station Approach Road, which will take 20 minutes to walk.

The diversions that will be in place for the first phase of construction (Image: Oxfordshire County Council) Two-way traffic lights will also be in place at Station Approach Road to manage traffic.

Site cabins and fencing will be installed from October 21, with work to dig up the existing Tramway Road footpath and divert drainage and utility pipes and cables starting from November 4.

From October to November, two-way temporary traffic lights will be in place at Station Approach Road to manage traffic.

Part of Station Approach Road and the west station car park will then be closed from November, with traffic diverted through the west station car park to maintain a route through.

Work to construct the new northern extension to Tramway Road will take place from late 2024 to spring 2025.

The west station car park will be fully closed from November, with the multistorey car park still available.

Commuters have been urged to look out for advanced warning and diversion signs, and some pick-up and drop-off locations will also need to change.

The improved station car park will be built in the last stage of work, with construction expected to finish in September 2025.

The county council is working with Milestone Construction Limited to deliver these improvements, with funding from the Housing and Growth Deal and existing developer contributions.