OXFORD rail station is set to close for the first of four weekends from today.
Lines in and out of the station are to close each weekend until October 1-2, to allow the second phase of works to increase capacity.
Buses will replace regular train services, with the station to be closed on September 10-11, 17-18 and 24-25, plus October 1-2.
This will allow work to be carried out on the track to create three high-speed crossovers (increasing from 25mph to 75mph) at Oxford North Junction.
Once complete, it will cut journey times between Oxford and Bicester by two minutes, as well as increasing capacity for additional services.
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Great Western Railway will be operating a bus service between Didcot Parkway, Oxford and Hanborough, while CrossCountry will be operating a bus service between Didcot, Oxford and Banbury.
Passengers travelling to or from London during the weekend closures are advised to use the Chiltern Railways service, which operates between London Marylebone and Oxford Parkway.
There will be buses available from Oxford Parkway to take passengers into the city centre.
Anyone wanting to travel to or from Bicester should use the Chiltern Railways service that runs from Oxford Parkway.
The work is part of a £161 million transformation of the station, to create a new track, platform and entrance on the west side of the station.
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This story was written by Liam Rice, he joined the team in 2019 as a multimedia reporter.
Liam covers politics, travel and transport. He occasionally covers Oxford United.
Get in touch with him by emailing: Liam.rice@newsquest.co.uk
Follow him on Twitter @OxMailLiamRice