Chiltern introduce a bit of competition from Oxford

The people of Oxford now have a choice if they want to take the train in to London, thanks to Chiltern Railways.

Their service, from the city's Parkway station, will compete directly with Great Western Railway that leave from Oxford's city centre station. Although the two operators are currently on a par price-wise, Chiltern managing director Ron Brighouse has been quoted as saying "This is not a price competition, it's quality". 

Unsurprisingly, journey times for both operators are similar - both around the hour mark - but with Chiltern's service being run from a station on the outskirts of the city, it is claimed their overall door to door journey times will be reduced for many potential passengers.

Brighouse explains "People no longer need to drive into Oxford to catch the train - that last three miles has a 30 minute penalty because Oxford is such a congested city". Fair point I guess.

It's good to see a bit of competition of Britain's railways, and one hopes that it will be the passengers that truly benefit.