A crucial part of the Oxford Station upgrade project – the replacement of the railway bridge on Botley Road – was completed during an eight-day blockade in February 2026, following significant delays caused by inaccurate historical underground records. The project, managed by Kier and Network Rail, was originally scheduled for the summer of 2024. However, excavation revealed that the underground structures were completely different from what was expected, forcing the engineering team to redesign the construction plan. Giles Clark, Principal Project Sponsor at Network Rail, stated that these discoveries "presented several major engineering challenges, fundamentally altering the construction design and methodology – but the final output remains unchanged."
The delays primarily stemmed from inaccurate infrastructure records under Botley Road. Clark pointed out: "The original records indicated a small inverted brick arch, but the actual structure is 130 meters long and 3 meters thick, primarily serving for flood prevention, rather than being entirely structural." Additionally, the team discovered a significant number of unmapped utilities, such as sewers and water mains, which were in poor condition and positioned too close together, necessitating rerouting. This led to a complete revision of the underground engineering plan, including designing a new diversion route for the sewer, extending it beyond the Botley Road corridor.
The new bridge was designed with three spans to replace the original single-span structure, aiming to provide a new platform for the station and wider pedestrian walkways. Prior to the eight-day blockade, the engineering team completed some preparatory work in advance, such as opening the northern pedestrian walkway in 2025 to alleviate public traffic pressure. Clark said: "There was a very narrow tunnel, about 1.8 meters wide. When you consider that approximately 10,000 people pass through it daily, that's a significant bottleneck." The new design features 4-meter-wide pedestrian and cycle paths on both sides of Botley Road.
During the blockade, the team quickly demolished the old bridge and used a large crane to lift in the new bridge segments. Clark described: "These segments were lifted out using a 600-ton crane. They were fairly easy to lift out; it took us about four to five hours to remove them." Subsequently, concrete boxes were installed as abutments, and waterproofing of the bridge deck and track restoration were completed. Train services resumed on the new bridge on February 9th.
Currently, the project focus has shifted to reopening Botley Road, expected to be completed by August 2026. This involves replicating the original flood prevention structure and installing new drainage systems. Clark explained: "We need to restore a 130-meter-long concrete slab, constructed in six segments, and increase the flood storage capacity of the area." He expressed confidence in meeting the deadline, emphasizing that the team has completed all milestones on schedule. This Oxford Station bridge replacement project lays the groundwork for future station expansion, including planned new platforms and entrances.
