Not quite sure what you are proposing here but I will assume that you are suggesting park employees will be living in Wixams, Kempston and Bedford.
If so, the stations serving Wixams and Kempston will also be the the nearest ones to Universal, so rail is not an option for any employees living there.
For Bedford, are employees going to be driving to the station and paying for parking then getting a train to Wixams? If they have access to a car they will drive to Universal instead, unless they impose some really swingeing charges for staff parking, and if they drive directly they probably cause less traffic congestion than if they drove to Bedford station. Any employee in Bedford without a car and not in easy walking distance of the station might have an alternative bus direct to Universal which would be more convenient than changing onto a train.
So rail is irrelevant to almost all of these people.
The framework that was suggested as early as Route E on EWR was that Bedford MUST be on the EWR network. In all honesty that wasn't something Bedfordians wanted, it was what government and investors wanted. So straight away you have a model which is against the local people.
Then Universal Great Britain was announced and this got a lot of traction with the people. It was heavily supported with the caveat that disruption/noise pollution and traffic congestion was the main concern.
Whether we like it or not, 8000 employees of the park will be moving in and around our town whether we like it or not. That's an awful lot more activity than we are used to.
So lets say the end game is that you want Universal/EWR and all the bells and whistles. Which from what I am seeing there is preparation works in Bedford right now completely overhauling many streets. We have many streets getting overhauled right now including Greyfriars (bus station area), Bromham Road near the high street area and St Pauls Church area are all being repaved for the new beginnings. Even under EWR plans some of Ashburnham road is penciled in to be demolished as well as the area north of Bedford to lay 2 extra tracks.
This doesn't send me signals that Wixams and Universal studios is where the boundary ends ( I know its 2 projects). Bedford is being prepped to be a UK super power, a tourist attraction on the level of Orlando or Las Vegas. There is already chat groups around BnB establishments in the town, people trying to buy up land for caravan parks and temporary accommodations. The investors are here already. Those hotels that Universal are building are not going to house 22000 a day, there is only capacity for around 1000 or 2000 in the plans. Folk that are coming to Universal will be visiting Harry potter world, London and all manner of attractions local or easily accessible.
Bedford will see things like Factory outlets for fashion and a restaurant park which will shift almost everything to the area of the park and many local residents will go there on a regular basis.
All the land in Kempston retail park is now been taken up by new retail outlets and restaurants, I think brand new toilets are being installed.
I believe a lot of those Universal visitors will be coming to Bedford because I believe the endgame is to make Bedford an extension of the park. Bedford with its nice river gives off that British vibe that tourists will look for and investors know of this. Its happening.
So yes, 8000 employees might come from further a field than Bedford, but at the same time Bedford is a big part of this project. The government knows this project will have the eyes of the world on it and they don't want anyone to see Prebend Street as it stands today which sits between St Johns and Midland station.
Locals want the park to be as un disruptive as possible. For me, the railway plays the biggest part in that. If the railway fails, most of everything else fails. The links between Bedford and the park whether it be road or rail need to be extremely good. Right now, you have 2 ways to access Bedford from the park, one is reasonable through the new bypass to the A6 and the other is quite terrible as it stands today through Ampthill road. Both are already congested at rush hour.
When you ask EWR or anyone questions about Bedford the answer is "Everything will done to mitigate the issue you have concerns with".
We are not talking about a project where Universal studios is in a bubble. I expect Bedford footfall to increase by 1000's of %. The UK government doesn't want a Universal park visitor to jump on a flight, jump on a train, visit the park and leave again. They want the bigger piece of the business. Do I see Bedford getting more traffic? Yeah, I Do. Bedford hasn't seen this kind of investment before, its new, and its not because people asked for it, its because there is a new guy in town.
I look at this project with different eyes. One from living where it is, one from what I see as current concerns, potential concerns, I see it from the eyes of if Universal Studios Great Britain will be classified as the weakest or strongest of the worldwide parks, I see it from the perspective of if visitors will like its surroundings. If they will enjoy the ease of transportation links.
I'm a rail enthusiast as well, I want the best railway and infrastructure to make this project a great success. I want to be proud of it as well. In the plans so far, I'm not seeing passionate plans, i'm seeing it will do plans.
