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The latest news from your Railbus operator, RH Transport
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14th April 2008 Our Website - an apology
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Previous news
Christmas and New Year Railbus Services [9th December 2007]
A revised timetable will operate on some days during the festive period. We would like to advise customers that we will operate the following revised timetable:
| Saturday 22nd December 2007 | Railbus X8 will run to a normal Saturday timetable |
| Sunday 23rd December 2007 | No Railbus Service |
| Monday 24th December 2007 |
No Railbus C1 Service Railbus X8 will run to a Saturday timetable except the 1015 journey from Chipping Norton and the 1240 journey from Kingham Station will operate as X8A via Cornwell and Salford |
| Tuesday 25th December 2007 (Bank Holiday) | No Railbus Service |
| Wednesday 26th December 2007 (Bank Holiday) | No Railbus Service |
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Thursday 27th and Friday 28th December 2007 |
No Railbus C1 Service Railbus X8 will run to a Saturday timetable except the 1015 journey from Chipping Norton and the 1240 journey from Kingham Station will operate as X8A via Cornwell and Salford |
| Saturday 29th December 2007 | Railbus X8 will run to a normal Saturday timetable |
| Sunday 30th December 2007 | No Railbus Service |
| Monday 31st December 2007 | Railbus routes run to a normal weekday timetable |
| Tuesday 1st January 2008 (Bank Holiday) | No Railbus Service |
| Wednesday 2nd January 2008 | Railbus routes run to a normal weekday timetable |
Major changes to Railbus services from Monday 10 December 2007 [9th December 2007]
A new train timetable starts on Sunday 9th December, and downloadable train timetables can be found in the train information section of this website. As a result there will also be major changes to the times of Railbus connecting services from Monday 10th December.
Changes to Railbus services from Monday 11th December [10th December 2006]
To coincide with the start of the national rail timetable on Monday 11th December, we will be making some changes to the connecting Railbus timetables. These are now available on the website.
Railbus C1
As a result of changes to train times at Charlbury, we have had to amend the times of Railbus journeys, with a slight reduction in the number of buses from Shipton and within Charlbury Town, although Leafield will get a better service.
Buses will continue to connect with all morning trains to Oxford and London, and in the evening, the bus will meet the 1551, 1722 and 1822 trains from Paddington.
Railbus X8
Many journeys have been retimed slightly to ensure connections are maintained with the new train times at Kingham. Please check our timetable carefully as some buses will run earlier than they do now.
As far as possible, a similar pattern of bus service will operate six days a week, Mondays to Saturdays, connecting with similarly timed trains on these days.
In Bledington, Railbus X8 will now terminate in New Road and will no longer serve The Green due to traffic problems where the bus turns round in the village.
Route X8A
This service has been combined into the main Railbus X8 service, with buses now operating directly between Cornwell and Kingham in both directions. Buses will no longer serve Salford Hill (Cross Hands PH).
Buses will run approximately 30 minutes later than now from Cornwell and Salford, arriving in Chipping Norton at 1039, and returning at 1240.
Christmas and New Year Railbus services [9th December 2006]
A revised timetable will operate on some days during the festive period. We would like to advise customers that Oxfordshire County Council has asked us to operate a revised timetable during the festive period, as follows:
| Saturday 23rd December 2006 | Railbus X8 will run to a normal Saturday timetable, with the last bus from Kingham Station at 1951. |
| Sunday 24th December 2006 | No Railbus C1/X8 Service |
| Monday 25th December 2006 (Bank Holiday) | No Railbus C1/X8 Service |
| Tuesday 26th December 2006 (Bank Holiday) | No Railbus C1/X8 Service |
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Wednesday 27th until Friday 29th December 2006 |
No Railbus C1 Service Railbus X8 will run a Saturday timetable EXCEPT that the 1015 bus from Chipping Norton and the 1240 bus from Kingham Station will operate as X8A via Cornwell and Salford. |
| Saturday 30th December 2006 | Railbus X8 will run to a normal Saturday timetable. |
| Sunday 31st December 2006 | No Railbus Service |
| Monday 1st January 2007 (Bank Holiday) | No Railbus Service |
| Tuesday 2nd January 2007 | Normal Railbus services resume on both routes. |
New train timetable from Sunday 11 June [9th June 2006]
The summer train timetable starts this weekend, and will be in operation until 9 December. Downloadable timetables can now be found in the rail section of this website. There are no changes to the times of Railbus connecting services.
Engineering work means changes to bus times [16th December 2005]
Network Rail will be carrying out major engineering work between Oxford and Hanborough during the Christmas and New Year period and trains will not be able to run between these stations. Replacement road transport will be provided to connect with trains at these stations but journeys will be about 30 minutes longer than usual.
Between Wednesday 28th and Friday 30th December 2005
We will run a normal weekday service on Railbus C1 and X8 and buses will still connect with trains at Charlbury and Kingham stations.
Please note that the First Great Western HST to Oxford, Reading and London from Kingham (at 0720) and Charlbury (at 0731) WILL NOT RUN.
Saturday 31st December 2005 only
Most trains will be retimed and we will run a revised X8 timetable.
From Chipping Norton
The 0740 and 0835 will run 25 minutes earlier.
The 0930 and 1030 will run 10 minutes later.
The 1140 WILL NOT RUN and the 1240 will be extended to Bledington.
The 1335 will run 5 minutes later.
The 1925 will run 30 minutes earlier.
From Kingham station
The 0810 and 0925 will run about 25 minutes earlier.
The 1210 WILL NOT RUN and the 1310 will start from Bledington.
The 1010, 1310 and 1818 will run about 5 minutes later.
There will be an extra journey at 1400.
The 1945 will run 30 minutes earlier.
Christmas and New Year Railbus services [16th December 2005]
A revised timetable will operate on some days during the festive period. Oxfordshire County Council has asked us to operate the following revised timetables during the festive period
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We would like to thank our customers for their custom during the year and we wish all of you a Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year. |
New Fares from 12th December 2005 [14th November 2005]
Most of our Railbus fares will be increased from Monday 12th December 2005. As a result of rising fuel prices we have been forced to follow other local bus companies by increasing fares. This is the first fares increase since we began operating the Railbus network last year but using Railbus is still a cost effective way of getting to your local rail station.
We have looked carefully at our costs and in general, single and return fares will rise by only 10p. Full details are shown below.
| Single Fares | |
| Existing Fare | New Fare |
| 70p | 80p |
| 85p | 90p |
| £1.30 | £1.40 |
| £1.35 | £1.40 |
| £1.50 | £1.60 |
| £1.70 | £1.80 |
| £1.75 | £1.80 |
| £1.90 | £2.00 |
| Return Fares | |
| Existing Fare | New Fare |
| £1.20 | £1.30 |
| £1.30 | £1.40 |
| £2.20 | £2.30 |
| £2.30 | £2.40 |
| £2.55 | £2.60 |
| £2.60 | £2.70 |
| £2.90 | £3.00 |
| £3.00 | £3.10 |
| £3.20 | £3.30 |
We are currently considering introducing weekly season tickets and more news on these new tickets will be available on the website soon.
New Railbus Times now online [10th November 2005]
A new Railbus timetable will begin on Monday 12th December to coincide with the start of the new rail timetable on Monday 12th December, we will be making some changes to the connecting Railbus timetables. These are now available on the website.
Railbus C1
There are no changes the Charlbury Railbus, and the bus service will continue to run to the existing timetable.
Railbus X8
There are some minor changes to the times of buses to ensure connections are maintained with trains at Kingham station. On Mondays to Fridays, the 1545 bus from Chipping Norton will run 10 minutes later. The 1905 bus will no longer connect with the retimed 1911 train to Worcester. The 1613 bus from Kingham station will now leave at 1620. On Saturdays, the 1340 and 1650 buses from Chipping Norton will leave 5 minutes earlier and the 1840 bus will no longer run. There will be a new later bus to Kingham station at 1925. The 0910, 1110, 1610 buses from Kingham station will run 5 minutes later and the 1720 will leave 5 minutes earlier. The 1410 bus will no longer run and is replaced by a bus at 1515. A later bus will be provided at 1945 to connect with a train from London, Reading and Oxford.
Route X8A
There are some minor changes to the times of the bus between Chipping Norton and Cornwell & Salford.
Summer train timetables now online [22nd May 2005]
A new train timetable starts on Sunday 12th June, and downloadable timetables are now available on this website. Although some trains have been retimed by a few minutes to improve reliability, there are no changes to the times of Railbus services, which will continue to connect with trains as before.
Reliability of Train Service [25th February 2005]
Since the start of the new train timetable in December 2004, there has been a decline in the the reliability of trains operating on the Cotswold Line. This has been caused by a number of operating issues, including the introduction of new trains and engineering work between London and Didcot.
The poor reliability of the train service is making it difficult for us to guarantee bus connections at Charlbury and Kingham. RH Transport would like to reassure its customers that it is doing all it can to ensure customers are not inconvenienced.
Buses on Railbus C1 and X8 normally wait for up to 5 minutes for late running trains, and longer for afternoon peak time trains. However, even this has proved insufficient on occasions. Our drivers use the information available to decide how long to wait but have to be mindful that people may be waiting for the bus at other places along its route. We strive to provide the best possible service and ask our customers to bear with us whilst First Great Western Link identify and resolve the cause of this unreliability.
Christmas and New Year Railbus services [15th December 2004]
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Oxfordshire County Council has now advised us that we will shall be operating the following level of service between Christmas and New Year.
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We would like to thank our customers for their custom during the year and we wish all of you a Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year. |
Your new Railbus has arrived! [13th December 2004]
R H Transport has taken over operation of the Charlbury Taxibus from Worth's Motor Services and Route X8 from Stagecoach.
Both routes have been relaunched and will be marketed as the "Cotswold Line Railbus" with a distinctive new image that will appear on the buses, at bus stops and on leaflets.
The County Council owned Mercedes minibus used on the Charlbury service has been transferred to RH Transport and will be repainted into a new colour scheme in January. A brand new low-floor bus has been ordered for the Kingham service and is currently being built. This is due to enter service in Spring 2005 and in the meantime we are using a temporary low-floor bus on the service.
Council announces continuation of rail feeder services [7th October 2004]
As part of its regular four-yearly review of financially supported bus services in the Chipping Norton and Woodstock areas, Oxfordshire County Council had invited tenders for seventeen contracts, including two rail feeder bus routes to Charlbury and Kingham stations.
The Charlbury Taxibus had been launched with Government money under the Rural Bus Challenge scheme and is operated by Worth's Motor Services with a minibus owned by Oxfordshire County Council. The Government grant has now run out and the new contract will be wholly-funded by the county council.
The X8 bus route between Chipping Norton and Kingham station started in 1999 and is currently operated by Stagecoach in Oxford, Since its introduction use of the service has steadily increased.
Following competitive tendering, it was announced in October that both services had been awarded to RH Transport. The new contracts will begin on 13 December and will last for 4 years.