OxRail 2040 Report

Oxfordshire County Council commissioned Toast to design and deliver OxRail 2040: Plan for Rail, a flagship strategy document setting out the county’s long-term vision for rail.

The plan needed to operate at several levels at once: as a formal policy document adopted by the council, as a clear narrative for councillors and stakeholders, and as a public-facing publication suitable for wide online distribution.

The project was delivered to a tight deadline and required close day-to-day collaboration between Oxfordshire County Council, WSP as lead authors, and Toast as design partner. Our role was to take complex, technical content and present it with clarity, authority, and consistency, while elevating the overall quality and tone of the document. A core ambition was to replace the previous visual approach, which relied on clipart-style graphics, with a more mature, confident design language appropriate for a county-wide infrastructure strategy.

The final outputs included a full-length strategic report and a shorter executive summary, both produced for print and digital use. Following publication, the work was referenced by national media, including coverage by the BBC, underscoring the importance of the document as a public-facing piece of communication.

Toast was responsible for the full visual design and production of both the main OxRail 2040 report and the executive summary.

This began with developing a new design system that aligned with Oxfordshire County Council’s brand while giving the plan its own identity. The design needed to feel serious, robust, and future-focused, without becoming overly dense or inaccessible.

A major part of the scope involved the creation of bespoke maps and diagrams based on detailed technical information supplied by WSP and the council. These visuals needed to communicate future rail services, growth areas, freight routes, and strategic priorities clearly, often condensing large amounts of data into a single spread. Accuracy was critical, but so was legibility for non-specialist readers.

Accessibility was embedded throughout the project. Both documents were designed to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards, influencing everything from colour palettes and contrast ratios to type sizes, hierarchy, and layout structure. Charts, maps, and infographics were carefully constructed so they remained understandable when viewed digitally, printed, or accessed using assistive technologies.

Toast managed the design process end to end, coordinating closely with the client and content authors to handle ongoing revisions, approvals, and late-stage changes driven by the tight deadline. The final outputs were supplied in formats suitable for high-quality print production and online distribution.