Cheaper ‘special’ train fares on UK’s newest train line

The new direct service, operated by Great Western Railway, officially ran on Monday, May 18, for the first time after 23 years.

Running every two hours, the new services are from Monday to Saturday, calling at Bristol Temple Meads, Bath Spa, Chippenham, Swindon and Oxford.

The first service left Oxford at 7am on Monday, arriving into Swindon at 7.30am and Bristol Temple Meads at 8.20am.

left to right: Swindon South MP and Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander, GWR Managing Director, Mark Hopwood CBE, and Swindon North MP, Will Stone (Image: GWR)

Quickest direct journey times from Oxford will be one hour eight minutes, and from Bristol one hour 11 minutes.

To mark the launch, Great Western Railway is offering a range of special deals on fares for the first month, with Advance Purchase tickets on the new services available from around half the usual price.

Example fares on new Bristol-Oxford direct services include a journey from Bath to Oxford priced at £10 and Oxford to Swindon for £6.

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This follows initial safety measures being put in place along the route ahead of services starting, and further safety improvements in the months to come, as discussed with the Office of Rail and Road.

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander, who was pictured with GWR driver Paul Maambo, said: “I was absolutely thrilled to be on the first train of the new weekday direct service between Swindon and Oxford.

(Image: Ed Nix)

“The weekend trial of direct trains was hugely popular, and this new weekday service will provide a fast, convenient alternative to being stuck in a traffic jam on the A420.”

GWR managing director Mark Hopwood said the new direct services would be “transformational” and brings the end of years of campaigning.

Network Rail western route director Marcus Jones added: “Reintroducing direct services between Bristol, Swindon and Oxford is a significant step in improving connectivity across the Western route.

“We’ve worked closely with Great Western Railway to make sure the infrastructure is ready to support these services safely and reliably, and this is an important milestone following the initial safety work we’ve completed.

“These links will make it easier for people to travel between key economic centres, opening up new opportunities for work, education and leisure, while we continue to deliver further improvements across the route in the months ahead.”

Neil Fawcett, interim leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: “We were strong supporters of the business case for this service, which is excellent news for Oxfordshire passengers.

“As we showed through the publication of our OxRail 2040: Plan for Rail in November, we are committed to improving rail transport and connectivity across Oxfordshire and the wider region.

“We look forward to continuing to work with our partners, including rail operators such as GWR, and the government to achieve this.”

The last direct services between the two iconic destinations had previously run in 2003.