Bicester Village Station was named Small Station of the Year at the National Rail Awards on 21st September 2017.

The renamed station opened in October 2015 as part of Chiltern’s new route between Oxford and London Marylebone following a major rebuild. It also serves the adjacent Bicester Village designer retail outlet.

In making the award, the National Rail Awards judges noted the “thoughtful customer service touch”, by the provision of foreign language signage to cater for the large numbers of customers visiting the shopping destination.  They also said the new facility sets a new, incredibly high, standard for small stations.

Facilities

There are 190 standard plus 18 disabled car parking spaces. There are a further 60 spaces for bicycles and 18 for motorbikes. A footbridge links the two platforms, and there are accessible lifts for passengers with reduced mobility.

Judges noted that the station’s main entrance offers an innovative ticket hall, while there is a second station entrance that offers shoppers a direct route to the shopping outlet. This entrance has its own lounge and staff.

Dave Penney, Managing Director of Chiltern Railways said: “We are very proud that Bicester Village Station has been recognised as the Small Station of the Year at the National Rail Awards. The station has seen over two million passengers make journeys through the station since opening and this award is a credit to the station staff who strive to ensure the customers come first.”

Around 1 in 10 visitors to the Bicester Village outlet are thought to travel by train.