Aynho Junction

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Aynho Junction: Track Layout

Legend

Chiltern Main Line from Banbury

Chiltern Main Line to Bicester North

flyover

freight loop

Cherwell Valley Line to Oxford

Key

Legend

Down lines (towards Banbury and Leamington Spa)

Up lines (from Banbury and Leamington Spa)

Aynho Junction is a railway junction a few miles south of Banbury in Northamptonshire, England. The junction is a flying junction, with the Down line from Bicester North grade separated from the Up and Down lines from Oxford. The junction is the point where the Great Western Railway's New North Main Line of 1910 ends; today it is the point where Chiltern Railways' services to Birmingham Snow Hill join the same route used by First Great Western's services to Banbury and CrossCountry services between Reading and Birmingham New Street.

Until the resignalling scheme in 1992, which transferred control to Banbury South signal box, the junction was controlled by Aynho Junction signal box. This was located between the Down line from Oxford and the Down line from Bicester North. During its whole existence of over 100 years, Aynho Junction signal box had no running water, this being delivered by train, but did have mains electricity.^{[citation needed]} The signal box was eventually demolished in 2002, ten years after it had been decommissioned.

Despite the improvements that occurred with the re-doubling of the Aynho to Bicester line section; there remain some concerns over the relative low speed limits in the Chiltern line direction. During this re-signalling the up main line speeds were lifted to 90mph and a new control panel was fitted to Banbury South signal box.