Chiltern Railways’ new service between Oxford and Marylebone, London, opened on Monday 12 December 2016 and was the first new rail link between a major city and London for over 100 years. This event marked the final phase of a project known as ‘Evergreen 3’.
‘Evergreen 3’ included a new Oxford Parkway station at Water Eaton, north Oxford, a new station at Bicester Village and major upgrading of an existing freight line to twin track passenger lines. Half hourly train services from Oxford Parkway commenced in 2015 and the upgraded railway forms an early section of the planned East West Rail Link between Oxford and Cambridge via Milton Keynes.
PFA Consulting was a key member of the project team during the planning stages focusing on the highway and traffic impacts of the project. The wider highway effects were assessed using the Central Oxfordshire Transport Model with local impacts and the testing of improved highway layouts at stations assessed by building micro-simulation traffic models.
A Public Inquiry followed the submission of a Transport and Works Act Order (TWA Order) application. A TWA Order effectively provides planning permission, compulsory purchase powers and a highways agreement. A Director of PFA Consulting produced written evidence for the Inquiry and appeared as an expert witness.PFA Consulting continues to be involved in the project analysing passenger and traffic survey data to monitor the air pollution impacts of traffic generated by passengers driving to the new stations. This work is required to fulfil a planning condition of the TWA Order.
