But Chiltern Railways don't stand complacent. With £250 million of private money being pumped into an upgrade of the line, from 2011, Chiltern customers travelling from Banbury, Bicester North and Haddenham & Thame Parkway to London, Birmingham, Shakespeare Country, Buckinghamshire and, of course, Wembley, will all benefit from faster, more reliable journeys.

Ticket prices will remain great value, starting from as little as £5 for a one-way Advance to London. The Chiltern Railways website, which is regularly updated with live travel news, contains special offers and excellent ideas for family days out. Whether you're commuting or traveling for business or leisure, there are plenty of value for money options. When traveling to London, don’t forget that a season ticket can save you money even if you only travel three days a week and, with a monthly or longer ticket, you also get free travel at the weekends anywhere on the Chiltern route.

Travelling solo is certainly one way of appreciating Chiltern Railways, but how does Chiltern perform when it comes to group travel? Being the person in charge of a group outing can be testing, especially when elderly or young children are your responsibility. Attentive customer service is therefore a pre-requisite, especially if the group is heading to a big event and is unfamiliar with the area.

As a family of ten ranging from nine to sixty nine years old, we had the chance to put Chiltern to the test, and travelled on what must have been Chiltern’s busiest ever day – the recent Conference Play Off Final at Wembley where Oxford United gained promotion back to The Football League (see page 52).

I expected hundreds of Oxford football fans to have come up with the same idea of jumping on the train. The car park at Haddenham & Thame Parkway was packed to bursting (I am told Bicester was even busier), but even though there was a predictable delay waiting for the return journey, due to the sheer volume of fans waiting for trains, it really was nothing to complain about. Given the undoubted pressures on the system, Chiltern coped extremely well. From the cleanliness of the trains to the courteous staff, it was a pleasure to use the train on such a memorable day. The light and well-ventilated carriages were spacious, and parking was no problem at all. If you are travelling alone Monday to Friday it’s definitely worth looking into Chiltern’s ‘Car Share’ strategy and arriving between 6am and 9am to qualify for free parking.

Trains run directly from local stations to Wembley Stadium itself, so you don’t have to think about organising further travel when you arrive. There are a variety of exciting events scheduled at Wembley, including live music at the Arena Square, and while you’re there, don’t miss the chance to visit the Square of Fame, a landmark of bronze hand-prints which celebrates outstanding talent of notorious music and sporting idols situated between Wembley Stadium and the Arena. For future reference, it’s also worth bearing in mind that Wembley station is only a ten minute rail link from Marylebone if you want to explore London at the same time.

A fundamental value of Chiltern Railways revolves around spending quality time with the family, which is why they’ve been working with National Family Week, introducing some fantastic 2 for1 offers to be used at over one hundred popular attractions, including restaurants.

Group travel discounts allow four people to travel together for the price of two adult off-peak fares. Plus, up to four more children can travel for just £1, and for under-fives, it’s completely free. Meanwhile, for larger groups of 10+, there is an entitlement of a 25% discount when booking; so long as you do this seven days in advance, Monday to Friday. You might even want to consider using their services for school trips, taking into account the variety of educational attractions easily accessible from Oxfordshire, such as Warwick Castle.

Since 1996, Chiltern estimate to have spent over £400 million expanding their facilities in keeping with technological advancements. For example, Chiltern were the first to introduce mobile phone ticketing so that you can purchase your ticket on the go direct from your phone. This earned Chiltern The Innovative Transport Project of the Year for Text Ticketing at the London Transport Awards in 2008.

In just under a year’s time, the most extensive privately funded rail infrastructure development yet will see journey times along the M40 tracks significantly reduced – you can expect to see an astonishing 20% off travel times from Oxford to London. This route will eventually be branded as ‘Chiltern Mainline’ and will deliver a high-speed route between London and Birmingham. Additional improvements will include new platforms and trains with increased passenger capacity. Rest assured that the extensive developments will not prompt an increase in ticket prices either. Chiltern Railways’ mission statement remains firmly centred on making sure that their services are ‘the only viable option for travel in our region’.

So, perhaps for a different and varied adventure this summer, see the Chiltern website for great ideas and irresistible offers, perfect for a hassle-free outing with family or friends, no matter how many of them.

www.chilternrailways.co.uk