Oxford and Rugby Railway

The Oxford and Rugby Railway was a railway between Oxford and Fenny Compton that was projected to reach Rugby but failed to do so.

Authorisation

On 4 August 1845^[1] Parliament passed an Act for the Great Western Railway to build the Oxford and Rugby Railway from Oxford via Banbury, Fenny Compton, and Southam to Rugby.^[2][3] The proposed route was to be roughly parallel with the Oxford Canal and 50 miles (80 km) long. At Rugby it was intended to link with the Midland Counties Railway.^[4]

Opening

However, by 1849 GWR considered that gauge interchange issues at Rugby would create problems. On 2 September 1850 the 24 miles (39 km) single track broad gauge section opened from Oxford to Banbury.^[5] This section was improved to be a double track mixed-gauge track on 1 October 1852. Due to the gauge problems, the section between the junction with the Birmingham and Oxford Junction Railway at Fenny Compton (opened on 1 October 1852) and Rugby was abandoned and never completed.

Closure

British Railways closed Fenny Compton station on 2 November 1964 in the Beeching cuts. Today the Cherwell Valley Line runs between Didcot Parkway and Banbury via Oxford.

References

External links

• Photographs of Oxford and Rugby Railway

Railway lines in the West Midlands Main lines West Coast Main Line Cross Country Route Chiltern Main Line Inter-regional Birmingham to Peterborough Line Crewe-Derby Line Cotswold Line Shrewsbury to Chester Line Stafford to Manchester Line Welsh Marches Line Local Birmingham to Worcester via Bromsgrove Line Birmingham to Worcester via Kidderminster Line Chase Line Coventry to Leamington Line Coventry to Nuneaton Line Cross-City Line Leamington to Stratford Line North Warwickshire Line Northampton Loop Line Rugby–Birmingham–Stafford Line Stone to Colwich Line Stourbridge Town Branch Line Trent Valley Line Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury Line Freight only Camp Hill Line South Staffordshire Line Sutton Park Line Walsall to Wolverhampton Line Heritage Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway Severn Valley Railway Telford Steam Railway

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