Concern additional CrossCountry services won’t benefit Banbury
28/04/2026
Banbury’s MP is unhappy but CrossCountry believe the change will free up seats on existing services
Banbury’s MP Sean Woodcock has expressed his concern that an enhanced timetable for trains between Reading and Newcastle won’t benefit people from Banbury.
CrossCountry have announced a new Oxford timetable, starting on May 17, which plugs a gap left when trains between Reading and Newcastle were reduced during the Covid pandemic.
However, Banbury isn’t included as a stop on some of the journeys. This will leave an hour’s gap in services between Oxford and Banbury at certain times of the day.
Mr Woodcock has written to CrossCountry expressing his concern and asking them to reconsider the decision.
He said: “I receive frequent complaints about the CrossCountry train service from constituents who face overcrowding and delays to their journeys whilst using CrossCountry trains.
“These issues are already a source of frustration for many commuters, and the absence of additional stopping services at Banbury can only make things worse.
“Banbury residents deserve and need better and more frequent train services.”
But CrossCountry believe the extra services will reduce the number of people on existing Banbury trains, helping local service users.
Nick Westcott, CrossCountry’s Service Delivery Director, said: “CrossCountry customers will see no change in the number of services at Banbury from May.
“Four extra long-distance CrossCountry services will operate through Oxfordshire, passing non-stop between Oxford and Leamington Spa. This will provide more seats for people travelling long distances by encouraging people travelling locally to use other trains, including the significant increase in services being introduced by Chiltern Railways between Banbury and Birmingham.
“We will continue to monitor passenger demand at Banbury and welcome feedback on the changes from Sunday 17 May.”
Published: by the Banbury FM News Team
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