A major redevelopment of Oxford station could deliver redesigned entrances and improved facilities after Network Rail appointed a masterplanning team to develop fresh proposals.
The commission is being led by architects HawkinsBrown, with 5th Studio also involved.
The value of the architects’ contract has not been disclosed.
Network Rail closed Botley Road at the station’s rail bridge in April 2023 as part of preparations for the redevelopment.
The scheme subsequently suffered significant delays and cost increases from £161m to £237m.
A replacement rail bridge has been installed, but proposals for a western entrance and a fifth platform were paused.
The appointment of the new design team is expected to lead to revised plans for the station.
Network Rail and Great Western Railway industry programme director Tom Pierpoint said Oxford station needed to accommodate expected growth and offer improved connectivity and passenger facilities.
He added that work with local communities and other stakeholders would form part of the process.
Oxford station handles more than eight million passengers annually, equivalent to around 24,000 customers each day.
Peak demand is forecast to double by 2036, with East West Rail, services to Cowley and Bristol, and an expanding customer base expected to contribute.
The future redevelopment is therefore intended to increase capacity at Oxford’s principal transport interchange.
Network Rail will lead the masterplan with Platform4, its property development company, while working with Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council.
The brief identifies three central priorities: creating a high-quality station capable of supporting future growth, establishing welcoming entrances into the city, and improving onward transport connections.
HawkinsBrown associate director Anthony Lazarus said the current passenger experience did not adequately reflect rising demand.
The practice intends to consider both the station’s wider role and detailed design elements in transforming the interchange in Oxford’s West End.
Oxford City Council leader Susan Brown said the station needed to evolve alongside the city and support increasing passenger numbers, including those using the reopened Cowley Branch Line.
She also said improved access would assist the local economy, support employment and create a stronger initial impression of Oxford.
Oxfordshire County Council cabinet member for transport Gareth Epps described the redevelopment as a necessary priority for delivering better facilities and capacity.
He also highlighted the need for stronger integration with buses and cycling, alongside Oxford station’s wider function as a regional transport hub and gateway to the city.
HawkinsBrown and 5th Studio have worked on regional interchanges including Stratford, Bury and Solihull, as well as major infrastructure projects such as St Pancras International, the Elizabeth Line and East West Rail.
Before producing new designs, the team will examine future capacity requirements and how the station and surrounding transport connections are used by residents and visitors.
A programme of public engagement will follow that assessment.
Community campaigner Julian Le Vay, who lives near Botley Road and has followed the effects of its closure on residents and businesses, said the appointment meant the previous station plans would effectively be abandoned.
He maintained that Network Rail had set aside a design approved in detail by the city council five years earlier and would be able to proceed without the council’s approval.
Network Rail delivery director Giles Clark told a meeting last month that revised designs for the western entrance would be submitted in March 2027.
Network Rail’s target is to complete both the entrance and the fifth platform by summer 2029.