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)
