Great Western Railway from London Paddington to Oxford

Great Western Railway is 1 of 2 railway companies operating between London and Oxford, with Great Western Railway using the Great Western Main Line and Cherwell Valley Line. With such competition, fares are competitive with both GWR and Chiltern Railways offering cheap advance tickets. My trip planning between London and Oxford would thus revolve around whichever company is offering the cheapest fare based on my required travel time.

Great Western Railway departs from London Paddington Railway Station. The front station façade and building is now the Hilton London Paddington.

The old GWR logo can still be seen on the front porch of Hilton London Paddington.

London Paddington Railway Station

From Praed Street, London Paddington Railway Station can be access from the sides of Hilton London Paddington.

From the Paddington Underground Station (Praed Street), there is also an exit leading directly to the concourse of London Paddington Railway Station.

Before departure, platforms must be checked from the main destination boards on the concourse.

My Great Western Railway 1W29 train from London Paddington to Oxford will be departing from Platform 4.

Platform 4 can be access by the middle gate line.

My ticket for my Great Western Railway 1W29 from London Paddington to Oxford departing at 5.50pm.

Inserting my ticket into the ticket machine at the gate line to enter the platform.

Lots of IETs ready for departure at Paddington.

My train was already ready at Platform 4,.

This train is bound for Worcester Foregate Street.

My 9-car Class 800 IET took up most of the length of the platform.

Looking out of Paddington.

The IET has a plate extending out of the door to minimise the platform gap.

First Class

I took a peek at First Class before departure and before most passengers boarded. Seats are arranged in a 2+1 formation.

Solo seats have a full-sized table, adding more legroom.

The pair seats are mostly made out of table seats.

First Class seats have a cushion on the headrest for extra comfort.

Cycle storage can be found in some coaches for passengers who have reserved a space.

Proper bicycle mounts are provided in this area.

A view of how the bicycle mounts work when fully loaded.

Standard Class

Standard Class seats are in a 2+2 formation.

There is a good mix of table and airline style seats in Standard Class, with sufficient airline seats which I prefer.

Power sockets are located below each pair of seats.

Luggage racks can be found near the doors.

Toilets are available on board the train.

The interior of the toilet available on board the GWR Class 800 IET.

The toilet door controls are mechanical which I also prefer over the electronic buttons, which can fail at times.

The seat reservation signs seem to be out of this trip.

Tray tables are provided for each airline seat.

A frame can be extended from the tray table to place laptops.

Departing from London Paddington on time at 5.50pm.

Speeding down the Great Western Main Line.

Slough Railway Station

Making a brief stop at Slough.

An announcement came on to confirm that seat reservations are unable to be provided on the train.

Reading Railway Station

Making a brief stop at Reading.

Splitting off the Great Western Main Line before Didcot Parkway, taking the bypass.

Tickets were checked by the conductor, signing off on my ticket. I had purchased my ticket with a 34% discount using my 26-30 Railcard, which needs to presented during ticket checks. The 26-30 Railcard is only available on mobile.

Oxford Railway Station

My Great Western Railway 1W29 train from London Paddington arrived at Oxford at 6.40pm – 3 minutes early.

The signal had already been set for departure despite being early.

The 1W29 train would have to regulate at Oxford to the departure time.

The exit from Platform 4 is accessed by the overhead bridge across the tracks.

Head up the staircase to the bridge. Alternatively, a lift is also available for passengers on wheelchairs and those with luggage.

The sign below the overhead bridge pointed to the side exit which was in use. Do note that this may not always be the case and if the sign is not present, head out via the main gate line on Platform 3.

The gates were opened so I walked straight out.

Oxford Railway Station is located at the edge of the city centre, so it’s fine to continue on your journey by foot. If heading further out, there are local bus services from Oxford Railway Station.