East-West Rail (EWR): Consultation updates [not speculation]

[Andyjs247]

The EWR project was 'kicked off' several years ago with the reopening of the line from Bicester Town (now Village) initially to Oxford Parkway and later into Oxford itself, as the Western section of EWR.

Indeed. This was Phase 1. The current project connecting Bicester and Bletchley is Phase 2 of the Western Section aka EWR2.

 

[12LDA28C]

Chiltern runs an arterial route into Marylebone.

As we are getting into speculation here, I have created a spin-off thread to discuss the topic: https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...-rolling-stock-discussion-speculation.244267/

You mean Chiltern already runs trains over the Western section of EWR, I believe.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 Mar 2023 ==

Looking at phase 3 specifically, construction costs are likely to be >£1.5bn. Electrification would be much easier/cheaper during construction, so it would make sense.

Except of course that Phase 1 was not electrified, and it appears Phase 2 will also not be electrified. I can see a pattern developing here, can you?

 

[Jammy Dodger]

Except of course that Phase 1 was not electrified, and it appears Phase 2 will also not be electrified. I can see a pattern developing here, can you?

I was mentioning what is most logical, not what is (unfortunately) likely to happen!

 

[Mikey C]

The EWR project was 'kicked off' several years ago with the reopening of the line from Bicester Town (now Village) initially to Oxford Parkway and later into Oxford itself, as the Western section of EWR.

That was a justifiable project in itself, seeing that the driver towards modernising Bicester to Oxford was so that Chiltern could run direct trains from Marylebone to Bicester Village and Oxford. That would probably have happened without the rest of EWR

 

[zwk500]

I was mentioning what is most logical, not what is (unfortunately) likely to happen!

Please not the thread title! (I'm probably as guilty as anybody on this board of provoking thread drift, so please don't take this as a personal rebuke).

 

[D6130]

That's hardly unusual for railways - London to Paris runs nearly 100 miles west of the direct line.

I think you mean East!

 

[zwk500]

I think you mean East!

Indeed I do!

 

[cle]

That was a justifiable project in itself, seeing that the driver towards modernising Bicester to Oxford was so that Chiltern could run direct trains from Marylebone to Bicester Village and Oxford. That would probably have happened without the rest of EWR

This did happen before EWR was approved and there was every chance it may have remained so.

To ret-con that service into being a squatter on the Western EWR feels a little disingenuous. It will surely always be busier, especially in regards to Bicester.

 

[mwmbwls]

This did happen before EWR was approved and there was every chance it may have remained so.

To ret-con that service into being a squatter on the Western EWR feels a little disingenuous. It will surely always be busier, especially in regards to Bicester.

Indeed. My view is that the presence of two pieces of the jigsaw - Oxford Biscester and Bletchley Bedford provided a persuasive case for filling in the remaining gaps.

 

[daodao]

Indeed. My view is that the presence of two pieces of the jigsaw - Oxford Bicester and Bletchley Bedford - provided a persuasive case for filling in the remaining gaps.

That applies to the Bicester-Bletchley gap. However, the route between Bedford and Cambridge has yet to be agreed/finalised, yet alone designed or be under construction. There are a lot of hurdles yet before trains will be running direct between Cambridge and Oxford.

 

[zwk500]

Indeed. My view is that the presence of two pieces of the jigsaw - Oxford Biscester and Bletchley Bedford provided a persuasive case for filling in the remaining gaps.

The presence of Oxford-Bicester certainly helped. Bedford-Bletchley I'm less convinced helped the case as it probably needed to be rebuilt anyway. MK is the main traffic draw, and Bedford-Bletchley is constrained on that flow by requiring an interchange.

 

[Wyrleybart]

The presence of Oxford-Bicester certainly helped. Bedford-Bletchley I'm less convinced helped the case as it probably needed to be rebuilt anyway. MK is the main traffic draw, and Bedford-Bletchley is constrained on that flow by requiring an interchange.

I totally understand the importance of Milton Keynes as the main attraction for EWR. If phase three (Bedford - Cambridge) ever does get built, are there intentions to run the trains from Cambridge round to Milton Keynes and back before continuing to Bicester and Oxford, as well as maybe to Aylesbury.

The fact that MKC is "off route" for the direct EWR Cambridge-Oxford line make it a little geographically ockard. Perhaps through passengers could alight at Bletchley for tea and a cake before resuming their journey ?

 

[zwk500]

I totally understand the importance of Milton Keynes as the main attraction for EWR. If phase three (Bedford - Cambridge) ever does get built, are there intentions to run the trains from Cambridge round to Milton Keynes and back before continuing to Bicester and Oxford, as well as maybe to Aylesbury.

AIUI there are no plans for a Cambridge-MK service. Aylesbury would be a separate thing, almost certainly Aylesbury-MK only.

The fact that MKC is "off route" for the direct EWR Cambridge-Oxford line make it a little geographically ockard. Perhaps through passengers could alight at Bletchley for tea and a cake before resuming their journey ?

I don't know if you've ever been to Bletchley station, but you won't want to hang around for Tea and Cake as the catering options are somewhere between dire and absent. Bletchley Park is a fair walk from the station. No idea if there's a decent takeout in the town though. There are occasional mutterings about a direct curve, but they tend to die down fairly quickly.

 

[Ediswan]

Bletchley Park is a fair walk from the station.

Bletchley station is about 300m from the main gate of Bletchley Park. I have walked it.

 

[zwk500]

Bletchley station is about 300m from the main gate of Bletchley Park. I have walked it.

That's not exactly right outside the station, which is presumably about as far as you're looking if just stopping to a cup of tea between changing trains.

 

[Wyrleybart]

AIUI there are no plans for a Cambridge-MK service. Aylesbury would be a separate thing, almost certainly Aylesbury-MK only.

But why Aylesbury and not Oxford ? And why nothing from the east ? Seems a bit "minimalist" given that MKC was purported to be the selling point of EWR

I don't know if you've ever been to Bletchley station, but you won't want to hang around for Tea and Cake as the catering options are somewhere between dire and absent. Bletchley Park is a fair walk from the station. No idea if there's a decent takeout in the town though. There are occasional mutterings about a direct curve, but they tend to die down fairly quickly.

I did go once, a long long time ago, but things can change !!!

 

[Magdalia]

Back to the consultation.

I listened to the 15 March 2023 budget statement and did not hear the Chancellor say anything about East West Rail.

But paragraph 3.98 of the published Budget 2023 statement says this:

3.98 The UK is a world-leader in the life sciences industry, with significant R&D hubs such as Cambridge’s Biomedical Campus. East West Rail – the rail line joining Oxford and Cambridge - will support further growth in life sciences and other high-productivity sectors across the region, connecting businesses and talent. In May, the government will confirm the route for the new Bedford-Cambridge section, and will provide capacity funding to support local authorities to develop their plans for strategic economic growth around new stations.

The full document is here on the gov.uk website:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1142902/Web_accessible_Budget_2023.pdf

SPRING BUDGET 2023 Return to an order of the House of Commons dated 15 March 2023 Copy of the Budget Report – March 2023 as Laid before the House of Commons by the Chancellor of the Exchequer when opening the Budget. Victoria Atkins His Majesty’s Treasury 15 March 2023 Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed 15 March 2023.

There is also a report on the BBC website here:

Budget 2023: New date for East West Rail route plans

The route of the Bedford to Cambridge leg of a new £5 billion railway will be announced.

www.bbc.co.uk

The route of a new rail link between Bedford and Cambridge will be confirmed in May, according to today's Budget.
Councils along the line will also share £15 million to develop economic growth plans around new stations.

The £15 million figure comes from paragraph 4.113 of the published Budget 2023 statement which is here:

4.113 East West Rail – The government will provide up to £15 million local capacity funding to support local authorities along the East West Rail route to maximise economic opportunities. The Department for Transport will make a route update announcement in May.

 

[MarkRedon]

Back to the consultation.

I listened to the 15 March 2023 budget statement and did not hear the Chancellor say anything about East West Rail.

But paragraph 3.98 of the published Budget 2023 statement says this:

3.98 The UK is a world-leader in the life sciences industry, with significant R&D hubs such as Cambridge’s Biomedical Campus. East West Rail – the rail line joining Oxford and Cambridge - will support further growth in life sciences and other high-productivity sectors across the region, connecting businesses and talent. In May, the government will confirm the route for the new Bedford-Cambridge section, and will provide capacity funding to support local authorities to develop their plans for strategic economic growth around new stations.

The full document is here on the gov.uk website:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1142902/Web_accessible_Budget_2023.pdf

SPRING BUDGET 2023 Return to an order of the House of Commons dated 15 March 2023 Copy of the Budget Report – March 2023 as Laid before the House of Commons by the Chancellor of the Exchequer when opening the Budget. Victoria Atkins His Majesty’s Treasury 15 March 2023 Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed 15 March 2023.

There is also a report on the BBC website here:

Budget 2023: New date for East West Rail route plans

The route of the Bedford to Cambridge leg of a new £5 billion railway will be announced.

www.bbc.co.uk

The route of a new rail link between Bedford and Cambridge will be confirmed in May, according to today's Budget.
Councils along the line will also share £15 million to develop economic growth plans around new stations.

The £15 million figure comes from paragraph 4.113 of the published Budget 2023 statement which is here:

4.113 East West Rail – The government will provide up to £15 million local capacity funding to support local authorities along the East West Rail route to maximise economic opportunities. The Department for Transport will make a route update announcement in May.

Section 3.98 of the backup document states:

Life sciences
3.98 The UK is a world-leader in the life sciences industry, with significant R&D
hubs such as Cambridge’s Biomedical Campus. East West Rail – the rail line joining
Oxford and Cambridge - will support further growth in life sciences and other
high-productivity sectors across the region, connecting businesses and talent.
In May, the government will confirm the route for the new Bedford-Cambridge
section, and will provide capacity funding to support local authorities to develop
their plans for strategic economic growth around new stations.

Less emphasis here on new housing opportunities, more on the hoped-for economic boost. But encouraging in the sense that building to Cambridge still figures in Government thinking.

 

[zwk500]

Less emphasis here on new housing opportunities, more on the hoped-for economic boost. But encouraging in the sense that building to Cambridge still figures in Government thinking.

Well the only tory voters left are people who hate new housing, so they were hardly going to deliberately poke that bear.

 

[richieb1971]

Bedford leaders welcome MP's letter to the Chancellor calling for "OxCam Arc rethink" - Bedford Independent

North East Bedfordshire MP, Richard Fuller (Conservative), has written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer ahead of today's budget to call...

www.bedfordindependent.co.uk

The full quote from the link as follows _

North East Bedfordshire MP, Richard Fuller (Conservative), has written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer ahead of today’s budget to call for a rethink of plans for the Oxford-Cambridge Arc.

Representing a cross-party group of MPs within the Arc’s five counties, Mr Fuller has said that existing plans, based on a 2016 National Infrastructure Report, are no longer relevant in the wake of Covid, changes to housebuilding targets and a rise in environmental expectations.


The OxCamb Arc has been identified by the government as a “globally significant area between Oxford and Cambridge”, with Bedford equidistant between the two.

The area supports over two million jobs, adds over £110 billion to the economy every year and houses one of the fastest-growing economies in England.

In his letter to the Chancellor, Mr Fuller cites “substantial difficulties” around the business case for East West Rail as one of the reasons for an overhaul of the plans.

He says sustainable growth can be better achieved by a locally-led initiative with net zero goals at its heart, rather than driven by central government.

His comments have been welcomed by Dave Hodgson (Liberal Democrat), elected Mayor of Bedford and the Bedford and Kempston MP, Mohammad Yasin (Labour).

“Our part of the country is well placed to contribute, but he needs a better plan: one that is more locally driven and with our Net Zero ambitions at its core.”

In the letter, the MPs also draw attention to the existing pressure on public services and call for an improved balance between adding more primary care capacity and additional housing.

“Investment to promote economic growth is welcome but we need to see improved communication from central Government, far more involvement of local communities, and a holistic approach building in necessary services and infrastructure to support growth plans,” said Mohammad Yasin MP in response to Mr Fuller’s letter.

“The cross Party nature of this letter highlights the need for the Government to update their OxCam Arc plans.”

Bedford Borough’s Elected Mayor, Dave Hodgson said he welcomed the intervention by Mr Fuller.

“I, along with other Council Leaders have been seeking clarity from the Government regarding the OxCam Arc/Pan-Regional Partnership for a number of years.

“The Partnership has already moved on, despite the Government’s inaction – there is already an economic prospectus that was agreed in 2021 and commitments to protecting the environment.

“We hope this latest Budget provides us with assurances needed, particularly about delivering the much need infrastructure for our residents, especially with regards to health service provision and transport projects.”

 

[Class 170101]

BBC Look East reports tonight that the Government will announce its preferred route between Bedford and Cambridge in May.

BBC One - Look East, Evening News, 17/03/2023

The latest news, sport and weather for the East of England.

www.bbc.co.uk

Available until tomorrow evening. Apparently more on Politics East on Sunday.

 

[Class 170101]

BBC Look East reports tonight that the Government will announce its preferred route between Bedford and Cambridge in May.

BBC One - Look East, Evening News, 17/03/2023

The latest news, sport and weather for the East of England.

www.bbc.co.uk

Available until tomorrow evening. Apparently more on Politics East on Sunday.

and once the BBC I Player ceases to work

Budget 2023: New date for East West Rail route plans

The route of the Bedford to Cambridge leg of a new £5 billion railway will be announced.

www.bbc.co.uk

Budget 2023: New date for East-West Rail route plans

The route of a new rail link between Bedford and Cambridge will be confirmed in May, according to today's Budget.
Councils along the line will also share £15 million to develop economic growth plans around new stations.
The £5 billion East-West Rail project aims to connect Oxford and Cambridge, via Bletchley near Milton Keynes and Bedford.

 

[Cowley]

Just as a bit of a tidy up and to keep this thread on the subject of consultation updates, some posts are now here: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/east-west-rail-mainline-interchanges.242330/unread
And there’s a new thread discussing the history of the Bletchley flyover here: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/the-history-of-bletchley-flyover.245448/

 

[Cantab26]

The draft recommendations have now gone to DfT for review, although they’re still a wee way off being finalised.

Lots to do in the next two months!

 

[Snow1964]

The draft recommendations have now gone to DfT for review, although they’re still a wee way off being finalised.

Lots to do in the next two months!

DfT has just published Prior Information Notice

The East West Rail (EWR) Project is set to introduce new rail services between Oxford and Cambridge in 3 distinct phases referred to as connection stages 1 to 3 (CS1 to CS3).

CS1 aims to introduce passenger services between Oxford and Milton Keynes between December 2024 and September 2025.

[Withdrawn] East West Rail (Connection Stage 1): prior information notice

Prior information notice (PIN) for including East West Rail Connection Stage 1 services under the current Chiltern national rail contract.

www.gov.uk

II.2.4 Description of the procurement​

Contract for provision of commuter and regional rail services on the UK conventional mainline rail system. It is envisaged the services would run between:

(a) London to Kidderminster via Birmingham Moor Street
(b) London to Banbury
(c) London to Oxford via High Wycombe
(d) London and/or Leamington Spa to Stratford-upon-Avon
(e) Leamington Spa to Birmingham Moor Street
(f) London to Aylesbury via both Amersham and High Wycombe
(g) Oxford to Milton Keynes via Bletchley, as the first of 3 connection stages (CS1) of the East West Rail project (EWR)

This is a mixture of leisure, business and commuter travel.

[Withdrawn] East West Rail (Connection Stage 1): prior information notice

www.gov.uk

I will open a new thread for the rail services, as they cover more general area, so as not to take this off topic

Prior Information Notice Chiltern services

Government has issued Prior Information notice for East West Rail As it covers number of services which seem to overlap with Chiltern, South Birmingham suburban, and some GWR and XC services, so putting them in separate thread for discussion II.1.1 Title Contract for Chiltern Rail Services...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[JamCat]

Interested to know the chosen route (as a rail person and local Parish Councillor)

 

[Tobbes]

Interested to know the chosen route (as a rail person and local Parish Councillor)

Like us all! Apparently to be released after then local elections....

 

[zwk500]

Interested to know the chosen route (as a rail person and local Parish Councillor)

Like us all! Apparently to be released after then local elections....

Indeed, the following is a quote from the Spring Budget (p.66):

In May, the government will confirm the route for the new Bedford-Cambridge section, and will provide capacity funding to support local authorities to develop their plans for strategic economic growth around new stations.

 

[JamCat]

We are trying to work out where the stations would be built as we would like a cycle route from our village to the Caxton one (if that is the one they build - they call it Cambourne South)

 

[Magdalia]

We are trying to work out where the stations would be built as we would like a cycle route from our village to the Caxton one (if that is the one they build - they call it Cambourne South)

The May announcement should tell you what you want to know.

Given the local elections, the Coronation, and the late May Bank Holiday, I expect the announcement to be between the 9th and the 26th.

Watch this space!