Trains to Banbury - Station Details and further Information on Banbury Train Services
Banbury train station serves the town of Banbury in Oxfordshire, England. The station is currently operated by Chiltern Railways, lying on the Chiltern Main Line, and has four platforms in use.
Chiltern Railways provide most trains to Banbury, with trains between London Marylebone and Birmingham Snow Hill, Stratford-upon-Avon and Kidderminster, as well as trains from London terminating there.
It is also the northern terminus of First Great Western's local services from London Paddington via Oxford and operates Mondays to Saturdays only.
Banbury is also served by CrossCountry services between Birmingham New Street and Reading.
Finally, there are services operated by the new Wrexham & Shropshire company, on their way between Wrexham General and Marylebone. However, so as not to abstract traffic from existing trains to London, southbound services only set down passengers in Banbury, and northbound services only pick up.
Following the reconstruction of the station in 1956-58, there were six numbered platforms: these were formed into two islands, the western one having two through tracks and a single bay at its northern end, whilst the eastern island had a single through platform, but two bays, one at each end. The two islands were connected to each other, and to the station entrance hall, by a footbridge.
At that time, the three through platforms were numbered 1, 3 & 4 from west to east, whilst the three bays were 2, 5 & 6. All but one have been redesignated since — the present-day platform 2 was formerly platform 3, whilst the un-numbered bay at its northern end was originally platform 2; and present-day platforms 3 & 4 were formerly 4 & 6 respectively. Platform 5, at the northern end of the present platform 3, has lost both its track and its number.
The present station has four numbered platforms (one active bay not numbered), numbered 1 to 4 from west to east, and are split into two island platforms.
Platform 1 is a through platform used as a bay platform by First Great Western's terminating local trains to Oxford and commuter trains beyond to Reading and Paddington, and by Chiltern Railways through and terminating services from the south - all terminating trains at this platform travel a short distance up the line before reversing back to the same platform and boarding outbound passengers, unless a train has since occupied the platform, which then means the train reverses to platform 3 to board passengers, It is also used as an emergengy through platform if one of the others is out of use for any reason. Platforms 2 and 3 are through platforms: platform 2 is for Chiltern services north to Leamington Spa, CrossCountry services to Birmingham New Street, Manchester, The North West and Scotland and Wrexham & Shropshire services to Wrexham General and Shrewsbury; platform 3 is for Chiltern services to London via Bicester, Wrexham & Shropshire services to London via Bicester, and Cross Country services to Oxford, Reading and the South Coast. There are also two terminal platforms: platform 4 is for terminating Chiltern services to and from London; An unnumbered bay platform (trains stopping here are classified as either or both Platforms 1 & 2, usually 1) is used by terminating Chiltern services to and from Birmingham and Stratford. Freight loops serve as main through lines for non-stopping freight trains. All passenger services passing Banbury stop at the station, and heritage trains stop here to fill up on water.
Many redundant loops and sidings surround the station: most of these were for goods services stopping at Banbury, which have all disappeared. Two goods loops survive to allow the stoppage of goods trains for the uninterrupted passage of passenger trains.
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