Changes at Culham station
Changes from 2019 to the present day
Click or tap to watch the Network Rail video of this train in action
Track Renewal System train
Image courtesy of Network Rail
April 2019 to November 2019 - Track renewal
Network Rail announced a major track renewal programme, taking place mostly at weekends, between Appleford and Culham. The whole process is handled by a special huge train which removes the old rails, collects the old sleepers and levels the trackbed, then places new sleepers and rails in position before finally filling in with new ballast. Network Rail have produced a short video showing the train in operation which can be viewed by clicking or tapping on the thumbnail image.
September 2019 - New bus service
Whilst not affecting the Old Ticket Office directly, on Monday the 9th a brand new bus route between Abingdon and Culham Science Centre began running, operated by Thames Travel in conjunction with the Science Centre. This is a significant development as the only bus service which used to pass near the station was axed some time ago upon the withrawal of the subsidy by the County Council. The bus stops on the main road outside the Science Centre are just a few minutes walk away so this new service, whilst only running Monday to Friday, provides a viable means of getting to or from the station by public transport. The service is number 45 and you can check the latest timetable by clicking or tapping on the thumbnail image.
September 2019 - External maintenance
On the 18th September contractors working on behalf of Network Rail made a start on the long awaited repainting and maintenance of the outside of the Old Ticket Office. A welfare unit and a small container for materials storage arrived and were parked neatly in the far car park for the duration of the works. The initial paint phase (non rail elevations) took almost three weeks and the building was left looking splendid as evidenced by the shiny front door.
Minor repairs, such as replacing broken slates, fixing gable coping and unblocking drains etc. were also promised as part of the project. In order to work safely on the rail side of the canopy it was planned to co-ordinate this with line closures which were scheduled to take place overnight during the following few months.
December 2019 - New retaining wall
During early December contractors arrived at the station saying that they were here to do some work identified as being required during a survey earlier in the year. Work was started to demolish and then rebuild of a small retaining wall between the ends of the old and 'new' platform 2 as seen here before the coping stones and fencing were reinstated. Work was completed in early 2020.
The contractors enjoyed a unique viewpoint when Clun Castle steamed through during their first day at Culham.
March and April 2020 - Replacement platform edging and lamp posts
Also arising from the site inspection during 2019 it was found that several of the large paving slabs which form the platform edging to Platform 1 needed replacing. The work was carried out at night and on Sundays during March by the same team of contractors who rebuilt the retaining wall, and the photo shows three of the new clean grey slabs before the white platform edge was re-painted. Any platform lamp posts which had been found to be badly corroded at ground level were also replaced as part of the maintenance package and this one is seen before it was painted blue. For some reason the signage attached to the lamp posts was also moved round a bit with the result that it is now neatly spaced out. The footbridge decking was also replaced in places.
April 2020 - More maintenance
Despite the restrictions imposed by the Coronavirus pandemic, mid April saw some welcome maintenance being carried out on the Old Ticket Office. The gutters, downspouts and grids had become blocked over the years and rainwater had long since stopped going where it should. Here we see the gutters on the forecourt side receiving attention in the glorious sunshine one morning.
July 2020 - Rail replacement
The rail replacement project reached Culham during July. Here we see the new rails spread out down the centre of the track waiting to be installed. The sleepers and rail fastenings were all replaced and the whole project lasted until early 2021.
June 2021 - Thame Lane bridge
Once the rail replacement project had been completed early in 2021 not much happened until early June when the listed Thame Lane bridge received attention. As can be seen in this photograph, much of the brickwork needed repointing as it had badly deteriorated over the years. The lane can be seen disappearing into the distance towards its junction with the main road into Abingdon. Going the other way, towards Culham Science Centre, it continues for a few yards before reaching the public footpath and bridleway which follows the perimeter track of the old airbase around its northern boundary.
October 2021 to January 2022 - Upgrading of Railway Tracks
Network Rail announced that they would be upgrading the track between Didcot and Radley, working from 10pm until 6am. In case you were wondering what happens to all the old rail, sleepers and fittings, Network Rail have produced a short video showing their recycling operation at Whitemoor and this can be viewed by clicking or tapping on the thumbnail image.
April/May 2022 - Rail improvement work
On three Sundays in April, and continuing into May, Network Rail took possession of the line between Didcot and Oxford between 8:00 and 24:00 to carry out rail improvement works. This large bit of kit was waiting under the bridges at the Didcot end of the station facing the wrong way on the Down line. Another engineering train was also on the same line but working just by the Appleford river bridge. No rail replacement buses stopped at Culham as there are no scheduled services from the station on Sundays, but they did serve Didcot, Radley and Oxford stations all day.
April 2022 - Class 802 stops at Culham
We noticed a temporary hand-written notice that had been placed at the end of each platform which reads 'Class 80x Units Manual Door Release Doors 1-6'. The reason became evident as there had been an interesting alteration to the working timetable (WTT). A class 802 5 car unit had started working the 7:41 Didcot to Banbury service, returning at 9:17 with the Banbury to Reading service. This service was being advertised as being single class, i.e. First Class was not accessible due to the length of the train compared with the platforms, which explains the sign. The driver can be seen on the platform keeping an eye on the 15 or so passengers alighting, one with a bicycle.
20th April 2022 - New Help Points
The old Help Points on platforms 1 and 2 were replaced with brand new ones today. They are the same size and attached to the existing posts but are of a modified design. The old ones used to have a display screen which had been covered by a large sticker for quite some time, but these new ones just have some rather large push buttons, a speaker and a microphone, together with a small cctv camera. As with many things now, they had to be paired up with the station wifi to work.
April to early June 2022 - Upgrading National Grid power lines
Contractors for the National Grid have started work locally on part of a multi-million pound project to upgrade the overhead power line on the 12km (7.4 mile), 34 pylon route, between substations in Cowley and Didcot. The refurbishment work includes replacing the 400kV conductor wire, the earth wire, insulators and other fittings on the pylons. To safely carry out the work, temporary scaffolding and netting has been installed both across the main Abingdon Road near Zouch Farm, and over the railway near Thame Lane bridge. The scaffolding and black netting can just be seen in the distance in this photograph taken from the end of platform 2.
Early June 2022 - Our own information posters
Early June saw a new set of posters arrive at the station and we were pleased to see that, after many years without, Culham got its very own train timetable and an up to date station information poster. It was interesting to see the stations advertised as being served by Culham which included Bicester Village, Swindon, Windsor & Eton Central and Newbury! Most involved changing trains either at Didcot or Oxford, so no real direct services except to Oxford, Radley, Appleford and Didcot, although there were a few interesting exceptions. Still no trains scheduled to stop at Culham on Sundays however.
13th July 2022 - Repainted benches
The five platform benches received a much needed spruce up today when a painter came all the way from Weston-super-Mare to give them a rub-down and repaint. Apparently there are no plans to do any other maintenance but the sparkling benches really help to make the platforms look much tidier.
9th September 2022 - Line closures
This banner appeared during the day advising that the line between Didcot and Oxford was to be closed on a number of weekends in September and October to allow the installation of high speed crossovers at Oxford to increase line capacity. We know that the line is also due to be closed in the summer of 2023 when Botley Bridge is to be replaced, and again in 2024 to allow for station improvements. Botley Road in Oxford is due to be closed for 14 weeks sometime during the winter of 2022/3 so that utilities can be moved as part of the bridge replacement enabling works.
Image courtesy of Network Rail
Image courtesy of Network Rail
Image courtesy of Network Rail
Image courtesy of Network Rail
March and April till June 2023 - Nuneham bridge works
Stabilisation works were found to be necessary on the Nuneham viaduct where the line crosses the Thames between Culham and Radley stations. For a number of weeks a temporary 20 m.p.h. line speed limit had been imposed along that stretch of the line and engineering works were started.
Following very heavy rain and higher than normal river levels in early April, it was found that the southern abutment had moved and the bridge structure had shifted. At 10:30 in the morning of 3rd April the bridge was declared unsafe and immediately closed to all traffic until emergency repairs could be carried out, trains already en-route had to return to either Oxford or Didcot. Network Rail were later reported as saying that it was planned to reopen the line on 10th June. Part of the remedial work was to involve sinking a series of 25-metre steel piles into the river bed to anchor new bridge supports on both banks, and that overall the work would cost between £7 million and £10 million. A special quay and pontoons were erected to provide a working platform and a 150 ton crane was brought in for the heavy lifting.
Early May 2023 - Temporary train service
We wondered why this temporary barrier had been erected across the line just beyond the end of platform 2. The reason became clear as, during the first week in May, a trial shuttle service was introduced between Culham and Didcot. A two car class 165 unit provided three round trips in the morning, and three around tea time. It had to travel 'wrong line' from Didcot and a hastily drawn stopping point was painted about half way along platform 2. The final train in the evening actually returned to Reading so in theory one could catch a through train between Culham and Reading, something which had not been possible for a number of years. A similar service was also being trialled between Oxford and Radley.
29th July 2023 - Line closure
The Buses replace trains banner was updated to warn that between July 29th and 6th August all rail lines through Oxford would be closed whilst Network Rail install three new high-speed crossovers to the north of the station and carry out signalling work. In addition to the work on the track, work was also carried out on Osney Lane footbridge to make additional space for the track that will eventually link into the new platform 5. Replacement buses operated from Oxford to Hanborough, Banbury, Oxford Parkway and Didcot Parkway stations.
