Oxford and Rugby Railway

Oxford and Rugby Railway
Overview
Type	Rural
System	Great Western Railway
Status	Historical
Locale	South East England West Midlands
Termini	Oxford Rugby
Operation
Opened	2 September 1850 (Oxford to Banbury) 1 October 1852 (to Fenny Compton)
Owner	Great Western Railway
Operator(s)	Great Western Railway
Technical
Line length	50.5 miles (81.3 km)
Number of tracks	2
Track gauge	Broad gauge and Mixed gauge

The Oxford and Rugby Railway was a railway between Oxford and Fenny Compton that was projected to reach Rugby but failed to do so.

Authorisation

On 4 August 1845^[1] Parliament passed an Act for the Great Western Railway to build the Oxford and Rugby Railway from Oxford via Banbury, Fenny Compton, and Southam to Rugby.^[2]^[3] The proposed route was to be roughly parallel with the Oxford Canal and 50 miles (80 km) long. At Rugby it was intended to link with the Midland Counties Railway.^[4]

Opening

However, by 1849 GWR considered that gauge interchange issues at Rugby would create problems. On 2 September 1850 the 24 miles (39 km) single track broad gauge section opened from Oxford to Banbury.^[5] This section was improved to be a double track mixed-gauge track on 1 October 1852. Due to the gauge problems, the section between the junction with the Birmingham and Oxford Junction Railway at Fenny Compton (opened on 1 October 1852) and Rugby was abandoned and never completed.

Closure

British Railways closed Fenny Compton station on 2 November 1964 in the Beeching cuts. Today the Cherwell Valley Line runs between Didcot Parkway and Banbury via Oxford.

References

↑ "The Great Western Railway". Wolverhampton History and Heritage Website. UK: University of Wolverhampton. Retrieved 25 October 2012. External link in |work= (help)
↑ Speller, John. "Oxford & Rugby Railway". John Speller's Web Pages — GWR Broad Gauge. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
↑ "Oxford and Rugby Railway". Hansard. 81. 20 June 1845. pp. 999–1004. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
↑ Ferris, Robert. "The Great Western Railway in Warwickshire". Warwickshire Railways.com. Retrieved 25 October 2012. External link in |work= (help)
↑ Daniel, John (2000–11). "A Selection of Great Western Stations: Banbury". The Great Western Archive. Retrieved 25 October 2012. Check date values in: |date= (help); External link in |work= (help)

External links

Photographs of Oxford and Rugby Railway

Railway lines in the West Midlands

Main lines	West Coast Main Line Cross Country Route Chiltern Main Line

Inter-regional	Birmingham to Peterborough Line Crewe to Derby Line Cotswold Line Shrewsbury to Chester Line Stafford to Manchester Line Welsh Marches Line

Local	Birmingham to Worcester via Bromsgrove Line Birmingham to Worcester via Kidderminster Line Chase Line Coventry to Leamington Line Coventry to Nuneaton Line Cross-City Line Leamington to Stratford Line North Warwickshire Line Northampton Loop Line Rugby–Birmingham–Stafford Line Stone to Colwich Line Stourbridge Town Branch Line Trent Valley Line Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury Line

Freight only	Camp Hill Line South Staffordshire Line Sutton Park Line Walsall to Wolverhampton Line

Heritage	Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway Severn Valley Railway Telford Steam Railway

Railway lines in the South East

Primary

International	High Speed 1 (Ashford • Ebbsfleet)

National	Great Western Main Line (Slough • Maidenhead • Reading • Didcot Parkway) West Coast Main Line (Watford Junction • Milton Keynes Central)

Secondary

Berks/Bucks/Oxon to London	Aylesbury Line Chiltern Main Line Waterloo to Reading Line (and in Surrey) Windsor & Eton Riverside Line (and in Surrey) Crossrail (under construction) (and past London to Essex)

Kent to London	Bexleyheath Line Chatham Main Line Dartford Loop Line Kent Coast Line Maidstone Line Medway Valley Line North Kent Line Ramsgate (via Canterbury West) Line Sheerness Line South Eastern Main Line Tonbridge Line (and in Surrey)

Surrey/Sussex/Hants to London	Ascot to Guildford Line Alton Line Arun Valley Line Brighton Main Line Caterham Line Fareham Line Hampton Court Branch Line Hastings Line (and in Kent) Chertsey Branch Line Epsom Downs Branch New Guildford Line Oxted Line (and in Kent) Portsmouth Direct Line Shepperton Branch Line South Western Main Line Sutton and Mole Valley Lines Tattenham Corner Line Thameslink (and past London to Beds/Herts) West of England Main Line

Others	Cherwell Valley Line Cotswold Line Eastleigh to Romsey Line East Coastway Line (inc Marshlink Line) Henley Branch Line Island Line Lymington Branch Line Marlow Branch Line Marston Vale Line North Downs Line Oxford to Bicester Line Princes Risborough to Aylesbury Line Reading to Taunton Line West Coastway Line Wessex Main Line Slough to Windsor & Eton Line Reading to Basingstoke Line Seaford Branch Line

Heritage

Non-passenger/
Defunct

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