Oxford station upgrade: Roadworks paused over archaeological find

The brick arch discovered under Botley Road was not used as a bridge support

A £161m railway station upgrade has been paused due to an archaeological discovery.

A ground investigation on Botley Road in Oxford has revealed an inverted brick arch under the surface.

Network Rail said it was reviewing plans and the find might mean bringing forward some work originally planned for next year.

Botley Road was closed in April for an initial six months as part of plans to expand Oxford railway station.

Network Rail said the closure of Botley Road has allowed them to "do more extensive investigations"

Archaeologists are examining the find, which they think was once part of a water-control system beneath the road.

They know the arch was not used as a bridge support.

Network Rail's investigation immediately below the railway bridge revealed the inverted brick arch stretching beneath the whole structure, about 100 metres from Frideswide Square to Roger Dudman Way.

The railway upgrade works have been planned out in two phases between March 2023 and October 2024.

"While this makes the project more complex and challenging than first anticipated, we're now looking to extend our working hours so we can safely remove the arch while continuing to meet our scheduled completion date for this work, in October", a spokesperson for Network Rail said.

Oxford station will undergo work to cope with an expected increase in services and passengers

Susanna Presell, Labour councillor for Jericho and Osney, said that she spoke to Network Rail and they told her they have "lost time" but are "confident that they will be able to make up for it".

She added that "if necessary", approaching the city council for longer working hours to meet the October deadline was a possibility.

Network Rail said they were "consulting with an archaeologist" before removing the arch.

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