Community artwork on Bicester North Station overbridge unveiled
Vibrant new artwork on the diverse rail memories of local people has been unveiled at Bicester North Station, transforming the station overbridge into a colourful showcase of community stories. The project, called “Tracks of Our Lives”, was delivered by Oxfordshire Community Rail Partnership (OxCRP) and funded by Chiltern Railways’ Community Investment Fund. The initiative was also match funded by Community Rail Network.
The installation brings together illustrations inspired by personal memories shared by residents, commuters, volunteers and families who use the station. These stories were gathered through interviews, passenger conversations and outreach sessions held across the local area.
A launch event took place at Bicester North this week (Tuesday 24 March), and was attended by contributing illustrator, Francesca Esme Morris, and poet Jonny Fluffypunk, who performed live poetry readings from the collection.
Michael Stewart, Commercial & Customer Strategy Director at Chiltern Railways, said:
“The new artwork on Bicester North’s overbridge is a wonderful example of the community coming together to enhance their local area.
“The artwork is vibrant, colourful and conveys delightful rail memories from residents of Bicester. We’re proud to fund projects like this through our Community Investment Fund, supporting social and cultural initiatives across our network.”
Alayne McDonald. Community Rail Development Manager at Oxfordshire Community Rail Partnership, said:
“Railways are part of everyday moments, big and small, and Tracks of Our Lives celebrates those moments through stories, poetry, illustration, and audio.
“We are delighted to celebrate this project alongside Chiltern Railways today, and OxCRP remains committed to working with local communities to enhance station environments - creating vibrant, inclusive, and inspiring spaces that reflect the communities they serve.”
The Community Investment Fund supports projects that deliver social, economic and environmental benefits along the Chiltern Railways route. It enables community groups and organisations to enhance local spaces, improve wellbeing, and connect people with their railway in meaningful ways.
The public are invited to visit Bicester North Station to view the finished artwork, which will remain on permanent display. The station artwork is also accompanied by a Community Story Booklet and audio exhibition, all available to download and enjoy for free from OxCRP’s website here.
More information on Chiltern Railways’ Community Investment Fund can be viewed here.
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Notes to editors
- Chiltern Railways is part of the Arriva group, one of the leading providers of passenger transport in Europe, employing around 35,670 people and delivering around 1.5 billion passenger journeys across 11 European countries.
- Chiltern operates commuter/regional rail passenger services from its Central London terminus at London Marylebone along the M40 corridor to destinations in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire, as well as long-distance services to the West Midlands along two routes. Services on the Chiltern Main Line run from London Marylebone to Birmingham Snow Hill, Stratford-upon-Avon and Oxford, with some peak-hour services to Stourbridge Junction.
- Chiltern also runs trains on the London to Aylesbury Line to Aylesbury (with some trains terminating at Aylesbury Vale Parkway instead), on the Princes Risborough to Aylesbury and Oxford to Bicester branch lines.