Is Oxford station still on track for being so friendly?

are being asked to vote for their station of choice.

Last year Oxford won the prestigious title. But is the service there still up to standard? The only way to tempt people out of their cars and on to public transport is by making travel by train or bus a pleasurable experience.

Apart from the nation's population of train-spotters, few people would choose to spend time at their local station - everyone else is there because they have to be.

Staff at Oxford have worked hard to make their station as user-friendly as possible without creating a cloying pseudo-American atmosphere where staff entreat you to 'have a nice day' when you quite clearly won't.

The ticket office has been divided into two and passengers queuing for a ticket for immediate travel do not have to queue alongside those buying a ticket to travel in the future.

Oxford is competing against the country's 2,500 stations on the UK Rail network for top place in one of 21 categories in the Station of the Year 2000.

The competition is organised by Railtrack, Rotary International and Railnews, and voting starts this week as passengers give their verdicts on stations across the land.

Once a shortlist has been drawn up, a panel of top undercover judges will spend days sitting in coffee shops and browsing in newsagents' kiosks as they comb the country for the best station.

Everything from the cleanliness of the lavatories to the quality of the sandwiches will come under scrutiny.

Last year, millions of pounds were spent on a major revamp of Oxford station and further work is due to be carried out later this year.

Duty manager Steven White says: "One of the most important things here is that there's always a lot of staff around who can be asked for information.

"We have introduced a help desk because passengers like to be kept informed about what's happening.

"Security has also recently been introduced at the station. Loiterers are quickly moved on and that improves the atmosphere." Your verdict

Nicola Pearce, 20, who was travelling to Lancaster, said: "The service is always quite friendly, especially in W H Smith. The ticket I bought in Lancaster had the wrong date on it and the staff in The Travel Centre here sorted me out with no problem."

Ian Ogilvie, 20, an Oxford student, said: "It's quite a small station and maybe that helps. It's compact and has everything you need, such as tourist information, a coffee shop and sandwich bar. The staff always seem quite helpful, which makes a difference."

Kathryn Jarvis, travelling to Bristol, said: "There are lots of good services here and staff were quite helpful when I bought my ticket. The signs are clear and there is lots of information about the trains."

Graham Sykes, 50, a theatre manager travelling to Brighton, said: "It's my first visit. It has a calm and relaxed atmosphere considering the number of people who travel from here. Large terminuses can be noisy and hectic. It has a good coffee bar, which is essential." Our verdict - the staff Ticket office - for immediate travel: I pretended I wanted to buy a ticket to Glasgow for next Wednesday. I was handed a timetable and told that the standard rate for a return to Glasgow was around £80, but no exact price was given. Service was efficient, but a bit cool. The ticket officer became more helpful. He suggested I went to the Travel Centre to ask about cut-price tickets and advance bookings.

The travel centre - for future travel: After queuing for about five minutes, I was served by sales assistant Jeanette Rooker. I again asked about buying a return to Glasgow. Jeanette was quite serious, but extremely helpful. She spent quite a while trying to find the best deal for me, but all the cheap tickets were already booked for the day I wanted to travel. She was very apologetic.

W H Smith: I asked for a copy of Majesty magazine, but sales assistant Zachs Norm said they didn't have it. I asked him for a copy of Horse and Hound which he also said the shop didn't stock. He didn't seem too sorry about not being able to help me with either magazine. The Upper Crust sandwich bar: Service was extremely slow for a fast-track sandwich bar. Staff were quite serious - as if they were concentrating hard. I bought an apple, service wasn't noteworthy. A woman behind me in the queue asked to speak to the manager because she had bought coffee that morning and the milk was sour. She was given a refund without question.

The customer help desk: When passengers complain about late trains or anything else, these front-line people take it head-on. I asked about facilities to help an elderly aunt. Assistant John Forster said I should make sure she told staff about her wheelchair when booking her ticket so that Oxford staff would meet her train to assist when she arrived. He was extremely thoughtful and helpful.

Guide Friday tourism centre: I bought three postcards and while at the counter I asked about tour buses. I was deliberately vague and unclear about when or with whom I would want to take the tour. The assistant had the patience of a saint and was happy to give me as much information as she could about the buses.

The Cappuccino Bar: Service was friendly, perhaps over-friendly. I asked for freshly squeezed orange juice and was served by two assistants - perhaps the kiosk is overstaffed. The juice was delicious and the assistants were keen to point out there was a special hole in the cup lid through which I could drink without spillage.

Story date: Wednesday 02 February

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.