PASSENGERS arriving at Oxford station on some trains from London are getting extra exercise under a plan to improve punctuality.

Under a trial due to run until November, all First Great Western trains ending their journeys at Oxford are stopping at the north of end of platform two.

The area lacks a canopy, unlike the main part of the platform next to the footbridge, where trains usually stop.

The idea is that a second train carrying on north can stop behind the first to unload and load passengers, rather than sitting outside the station and waiting for the first to discharge its passengers and move to the sidings.

Passengers getting off FGW Turbo trains at the north end of the platform now face an extra 100-yard walk, exposed to the elements, to reach the footbridge and lifts.

One post on an internet forum described it as “bonkers”.

But passenger groups have given the experiment a more measured response.

Cotswold Line Promotion Group chairman John Ellis said if it improved punctuality it was worth the passenger inconvenience.

He added: “While we don’t welcome it, we understand why it’s being done.”

But Chris Bates, chairman of Cherwell rail users group, said there would be more passengers affected than minutes saved. He added: “If they could get their trains running on time, there would be no need to do this.”

The train company said the trial had been set up to monitor any performance improvements and gauge any negative impact.

FGW spokesman John Ratchford said: “The logic behind it is the platform can accept two trains.

“If the first train stops at the southern end, a second train can’t get in.”

He added: “We are taking on customer feedback and we will make a decision in November.”

Posters invite passengers to give views on the trial to station staff and a feedback book is available at the station.