Project Evergreen Presentation to Lakeside, Wolvercote and north Oxford residents 25 th March 2010

1. Project EvergreenPresentation to Lakeside, Wolvercote and north Oxford residents25th March 2010 Adrian Shooter CBE - Chiltern Railways Allan Dare - Chiltern Railways Steve Barker - Chiltern Railways John Horsman - Chiltern Railways Mike Fraser - ERM Paul Clarke - Ardent

2. Contents • Chiltern Railways - who we are • Project Evergreen - what we’re proposing, and why • North Oxford issues • Train frequency and speeds • Track layout • Noise • Vibration • Water Eaton Parkway • Oxford Northern Gateway • Environment • Building the line • Transport & Works Act process

3. Passenger miles, indexed Chiltern Railways • 20-year investment-led franchise • UK rail industry leader • 220% traffic growth since 1996 • 95%+ punctuality • 90% positive “overall opinion”, National Passenger Satisfaction Survey • Over £400m of private investment since 1996 • We have delivered 8 major infrastructure schemes on time, on budget

4. Chiltern’s “Evergreen 3” project • £250m investment project • Funded by Chiltern Railways • Not dependent on scarce public funds • Faster journeys on the Chiltern Main Line from London to Birmingham • Work has already started under existing powers • New route to Oxford • New connecting line at Bicester • Bicester – Oxford line restored as a main line railway • Bicester Town and Islip stations rebuilt • New station at Water Eaton Parkway • Additional platforms at Oxford station • Dependent on Transport & Works Act being granted • Transport & Works Act application for Oxford line submitted January 2010

5. Evergreen 3 – to Oxford

6. Oxford route benefits • Sustainable transport • Less fuel, less emissions, less carbon, less congestion • Choice of routes to London • Avoids disruption on the Paddington line 2012 - 2017 • Oxford - High Wycombe trains for first time since 1964 • Integrated transport at Water Eaton Parkway • Train – bus – bike - car interchange • North Oxford gets a station - no need to drive through city centre to catch a train • Fast commuter service Bicester - Oxford • Avoids the jams on the A34 • Complements East – West Rail

7. East-West Rail • Oxford – Bletchley – Bedford - Cambridge • Closed in 1967 – widely regarded as a huge mistake • Shares Oxford-Bicester section with Chiltern’s scheme • East-West Rail Consortium of local authorities aspire to reopen the line • Engineering studies for Oxford – Bletchley - (Milton Keynes) section under way • No decision yet on whether to proceed, and authority is unlikely in near future • Chiltern “future proofing” Oxford-Bicester works as a public policy benefit East-West Rail to Milton Keynes and Bedford Bicester Town Reading Oxford Water Eaton Parkway Chiltern Railways to High Wycombe and London Marylebone

8. The ‘Varsity line • Authorised by the Oxford & Bletchley Railway Act, 1846 • Opened to Banbury Road (Water Eaton) in 1850, to Oxford in 1851 • Built as a double track railway, singled in 1973 • Closed to passengers in 1967 - freight services continued • Passenger service to Bicester reopened in 1987 • Track doubling and extra services covered by existing powers • Recent increase in passenger trains funded by Oxfordshire County Council Wolvercote Halt, ca 1905

9. Proposed passenger train services • 2 Chiltern trains each hour Marylebone-Oxford • London – Oxford 66 minutes journey time • Bicester - Oxford 14 minutes • High Wycombe – Oxford 38 minutes • London – Water Eaton Parkway 58 minutes • Less frequent service early morning / late evening • First train ca. 0600, last train ca. midnight • Chiltern “Clubman” rolling stock • If/when East-West Rail goes ahead, 2 trains each hour Oxford-Milton Keynes FR Yugoslavia

10. Chiltern trains • Chiltern “Clubman” rolling stock • 100mph top speed • Lightweight, air suspension • Mostly 3-4 coaches long • Any East-West Rail trains are likely to be similar

11. High-speed rail • Chiltern Railways is not part of the Government's proposal for a new high-speed line to Birmingham • High-speed trains will not use the Chiltern tracks

12. Freight trains • Chiltern does not run freight trains • Existing 2-4 freight trains a day will continue • Keeping ‘000s of lorries off the roads • If /when East-West Rail goes ahead, there may be more freight trains • Mostly shipping containers from Southampton – alternative is the A34 • Capacity for 1 freight train “path” each hour, but not all paths will be used • Maximum axleload 25t as now - container trains are ca. 18t • New structures will have clearances for international-standard containers • Standard practice for all rail schemes • Taller does not mean heavier

13. Wolvercot* tunnel • Department for Transport is funding work to lower the floor in Wolvercot tunnel • Enables double track at full clearances for East-West Rail • Saves disruption and public money compared with doing the work later • The track under First Turn bridge will also be lowered • Realigned track will be only 6 feet nearer to houses than now • I.e. where it used to be * Wolvercot tunnel, Wolvercote village

14. Train speeds • Maximum speed for passenger trains through Wolvercote and north Oxford will be 75mph • Rest of the line to Bicester will be 100mph • Existing main line through north Oxford to Banbury/Worcester is 90mph • Lower speeds would increase the time taken over critical track sections • With braking and acceleration either side, 30mph would cost 3 minutes each way • Knock-on effect on the single line into Oxford, on turn-round time there, and “pathing” onto the main line at Bicester • We could not operate a reliable timetable at slower speeds • Freight trains will run at 30mph • Limited by speed through junction with main line

15. Noise • Existing “baseline” noise measurements taken in lineside areas • Forecast increases in noise calculated from actual measurements of the trains that will use the line • Modern trains and track are much quieter than those used a few years ago • Statutory requirement for mitigation if noise exceeds 66dBLAeqday, 61dBLAeqnight # • We do not reach these levels BUT • We will provide mitigation even where not required by statute • This includes the Lakeside and Wolvercote areas • If EWR goes ahead, further mitigation may be provided # dBLAeq = noise over time

16. Noise exposure • Faster trains = greater noise, but less duration • Mitigation will reduce noise level

17. Noise levels

18. Vibration • There are ‘000s of buildings next to or above railway lines • Damage due to vibration from trains is virtually unknown • Vibration in the past due to old-fashioned wagons on poorly-maintained track • New track will be built and maintained to high standards • Modern trains have sophisticated suspension • Predicted vibration level far lower than that which would damage property

19. Mitigation • Our starting point is to eliminate noise/vibration at source • We will provide further mitigation where appropriate • Range of mitigation measures • Track design • Rail dampers • Noise barriers • Double glazing and soundproofing • Optimum solution depends on local circumstances – e.g. topography • But cannot vary every few yards • Subject to detailed design work over the next few months • Further surveys where appropriate • Final design may depend on TWA Inspector's recommendations Typical noise barrier

20. Compensation • “Before and after” defect surveys • Any damage due to e.g. construction works is rectified by the scheme promoter • Compensation for losses due to noise and vibration is payable by the scheme promoter at any time after scheme has been in operation for 12 months • Subject to arbitration by the Lands Tribunal

21. Water Eaton Parkway • Multi-modal interchange • Site chosen due to good bus links • Easy access to the railway from north Oxford • Avoids traffic delays getting to the main Oxford station

22. Water Eaton Parkway –the site • Next to the bus park & ride terminus • In green belt, but on brownfield land • Derelict grain silos will be demolished • Stone sidings will be relocated • We believe the station is a better use for the site than the proposed waste depot • We are NOT proposing any other development at Water Eaton

23. Water Eaton Parkway - facilities • Mainline station • Fully staffed • Coffee shop and news-stand • Level access throughout • Multi-modal train/bus/car/cycle interchange • Express buses to city centre and the hospitals • Local buses to Banbury Road, Kidlington, Airport and villages • Cycleway • 100 covered spaces for bikes, with room for more • 850 extra parking spaces for rail users • Low-profile buildings in traditional style, to minimise green belt impact

24. Relocated stone sidings Water Eaton Parkway - layout Railway car parking A34 A4165 2 platforms 2-level station building Pick-up/ drop-off Local bus stops and bus layby Existing bus park & ride Pedestrian crossing and step-free ramp Pedestrian promenade to bus terminal Covered cycle parking Remodelled road junction

25. Water Eaton Parkway – road access • Extensive surveys and computer simulations undertaken • Existing queues on Banbury Road are due to inefficient junction layout at Water Eaton • We will completely remodel this junction • Eliminates the tailbacks • Gives capacity for growth to 2026 and beyond • Bus lanes maintained • Over 60% of Oxford-area passengers will use bus, bike or foot to get to the station • Bicester commuters taking the train will also reduce road congestion

26. Oxford Northern Gateway • We are NOT associated with the Northern Gateway project • Our business case is not dependent on it • We rejected building a station at Peartree • Adverse impact on the local community, highways and the environment • IF Northern Gateway goes ahead, we may be able to provide pedestrian and cycle links to Water Eaton Parkway • This would help reduce car use arising from the development

27. Environment • Exhaust emissions: • Chiltern Clubman trains have modern diesel engines with lower emissions than those currently used on the Oxford line • We are designing all new and rebuilt structures to enable electrification in future • Effluent: • All Chiltern trains have toilet retention tanks, we do not dump waste on the track • Wildlife: • We are undertaking further bat surveys, as these are seasonally-dependent • Agencies: • We are working closely with Natural England and the Environment Agency

28. Building the line • Detailed design process under way • Oxford-based companies playing a key role • Construction will commence once TWA Order granted • Work will take 12 months • We are hoping to reduce this further • Time taken at any one location will be much shorter • Work will basically progress east-west • Almost all work will be done during daytime and on weekdays • Much of the work is low-impact, e.g. installing cables or fitting out buildings • Bicester Town – Oxford trains will be replaced by buses for up to 9 moths • Temporary construction compound at Peartree • Landscape will be restored after use • Code of Construction Practice agreed with contractor • 24-hour hotline

29. Transport & Works Act • TWA Order will give: • Statutory authority to build and operate the new connecting line at Bicester • Powers to close level crossing and divert paths and highways • Deemed planning permission for new and rebuilt stations • Compulsory purchase powers • Transport & Works Act application submitted 6th January 2010 • Objection period closed 17th February • Public Inquiry confirmed • Expected to be early October • Objectors and expert witnesses have right to appear at the Inquiry • Inspector may make recommendations, e.g. on mitigations • Secretary of State’s decision expected spring-summer 2011 • Will not be affected by the election

30. Putting the record straight • Trains will run at 100mph past local houses - NO • Passenger trains will run 24 hours a day - NO • Risk of subsidence - NO • Thousands more cars on the A34 and local roads - NO • Closure of Park & Ride at Water Eaton - NO • Poorly integrated and reduced bus services - NO • Effluent discharged onto tracks - NO • Heavier freight trains - NO

31. What it’s all about Beating the motorway jams!