East-West Rail (EWR) countdown to entry into service

[Robin Edwards]

I received an email yesterday from Pathfinders advertising a Cambrian Coast trip on 12th September that starts at Oxford and picks up at Bicester Village and Milton Keynes - class 37s rather than Steam however

 

[Forty29]

On their website yes advertising class 37's, on Rail advert also using class 47/57's and on Railway Herald railtour's not this route at all,
from Bristol.
If a recent change Pathfinder still hasn't advised them or RH not yet changed it.

 

[rogercov]

RTC is advertising "The Varsity Explorer" on Saturday 25th October 2025.

Join us on this unusual tour from Slough to Chester featuring the newly reopened section of The East-West line from Bicester to Bletchley. The added attraction is for the journey to be steam hauled by a restored main line approved steam locomotive that will see a steam train return to this section of line for the first time since 1967.

 

[CyrusWuff]

RTC is advertising "The Varsity Explorer" on Saturday 25th October 2025.

Also "The Chiltern Explorer" on Saturday 1st November:

Join us on this unusual tour from Manchester to Oxford and Reading, featuring the newly reopened section of The East-West line from Bletchley to Bicester. The added attraction is for the journey to be steam hauled by a restored main line approved steam locomotive that will see a steam train return to this section of line for the first time since 1967.

Links:

• Varsity Explorer
• Chiltern Explorer

Pricing for both is £115 Adult (£85 Junior, £358 Family) in Standard Class, £225/£160/£690 in First Class and £325/£230/£995 in Premier Class. Table for two supplement (First Class and Premier Class only) is £45 per person.

 

[Forty29]

Diverted Tesco service from Daventry used the line today at 1230, saw the containers from a distance whilst observing the first trial run of Mk5 stock to Marylebone from Banbury. Then followed 20142/189 LE from Kidderminster to West Ruislip depot. It's been a very interesting weekend on the Chiltern line!

 

[TiddlyPom]

Here's an odd path on Thursday 4/9/25:

Realtime Trains | Departures from Winslow all day on 04/09/2025

Train information at Winslow all day on 04/09/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

A train that goes from Leicester via Bedford and Bletchley to Oxford. Then it goes back to Bedford St Johns, returns to Oxford and finally returns to Leicester, via Bletchley, and Bedford.

Can anyone shed any light on this?

 

[zwk500]

Here's an odd path on Thursday 4/9/25:

Realtime Trains | Departures from Winslow all day on 04/09/2025

Train information at Winslow all day on 04/09/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

A train that goes from Leicester via Bedford and Bletchley to Oxford. Then it goes back to Bedford St Johns, returns to Oxford and finally returns to Leicester, via Bletchley, and Bedford.

Can anyone shed any light on this?

Looks like fairly straightforward driver training, with just a positioning move from Leicester to Bedford either side of 2 round trips on the line. The 2 round trips may be for 2 drivers, or to just gain extra familiarity on the 2nd run.

 

[zwk500]

Here's an odd path on Thursday 4/9/25:

Realtime Trains | Departures from Winslow all day on 04/09/2025

Train information at Winslow all day on 04/09/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

A train that goes from Leicester via Bedford and Bletchley to Oxford. Then it goes back to Bedford St Johns, returns to Oxford and finally returns to Leicester, via Bletchley, and Bedford.

Can anyone shed any light on this?

They ran, but with some oddities by the look of it:

Realtime Trains | Departures from Winslow all day on 04/09/2025

Train information at Winslow all day on 04/09/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Cancellations, STP and VSTP paths all over the place.

 

[Russel]

Is there a start date for passenger services yet?

 

[swt_passenger]

Is there a start date for passenger services yet?

No. They’re apparently arguing about guards according to the, (probably more relevant), thread about the countdown to service start.

 

[DavidGrain]

This coming Friday there is a working Paddington to Euston and return. This is operated by a GWR Class 80x so some sort of test run.

Realtime Trains | 1Z13 0936 London Paddington to London Euston | 12/09/2025

Real-time train running information for 1Z13 0936 departure from London Paddington to London Euston on 12/09/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Realtime Trains | 1Z14 1208 London Euston to London Paddington | 12/09/2025

Real-time train running information for 1Z14 1208 departure from London Euston to London Paddington on 12/09/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[pdeaves]

This coming Friday there is a working Paddington to Euston and return. This is operated by a GWR Class 80x so some sort of test run.

Realtime Trains | 1Z13 0936 London Paddington to London Euston | 12/09/2025

Real-time train running information for 1Z13 0936 departure from London Paddington to London Euston on 12/09/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Realtime Trains | 1Z14 1208 London Euston to London Paddington | 12/09/2025

Real-time train running information for 1Z14 1208 departure from London Euston to London Paddington on 12/09/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

A demonstration to various non-TOC people, rather than test as such.

 

[Nicholas43]

Do any forum insiders know who, if anyone, is talking to whom about advancing the countdown towards the entry in service of passenger trains between Oxford and Milton Keynes? (Interesting to see a revival of the LNWR's service from Euston to Oxford, as advertised on one of the Euston gatehouses, but a bit off topic?)

 

[carpo]

I cant help but notice that on OxRail 2040 (https://ehq-production-europe.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/5963210585830e88f2578ead1885f9a6f561ee1a/original/1756998113/25505068adae654a5d99fecbebd5d492_OxRAIL 2040 Plan for Rail consultation.pdf?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIA4KKNQAKIJHZMYNPA/20250910/eu-west-1/s3/aws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20250910T161912Z&X-Amz-Expires=300&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Signature=8ad1e3887043411c1293ac68f675187c4759cfb797b48d2183f7725b7c5f0a41) it notes:
EDIT: Image refers to EWR connecting to Oxford to Milton Keynes in 2026.



First thing i've seen to refer to this as 2026 in print....

 

[gordonthemoron]

I asked the MP for Milton Keynes Central what was going on, and she basically confirmed nothing

 

[sqwizz]

Almost got caught in the lightning for this

[image of an IET on the EWR line today]

 

[Sun Chariot]

Almost got caught in the lightning for this
View attachment 188329
[image of an IET on the EWR line today]

Nice one @sqwizz Takes me back to 800005's runs last October

 

[fishwomp]

Yesterday was a great day for movements on the new section. 14 workings in total, 10 freight, 2 excursion (ECS+service), 2 GWR to Euston.

Oh, and a massive 0 workings from Chiltern for service or learning..

The usual route was shut from Oxford to Banbury overnight for engineering. Been busy all week, 14 workings on Wednesday too (inc two Chiltern moves)

 

[Forty29]

Yes saw video at Euston today from yesterday of a GWR unit at the station was going to ask on a thread if diversion's this weekend. Going to check real-time trains what I missed yesterday only work half a mile away , knew about the railtour though.

 

[WolvertonWorks]

I've just emailed mine, Emily Darlington MP for Central MK, to ask what she can find out.

Well I had a reply that doesn't say a lot but it is the outstanding Regulatory and safety approvals that surprises me as I would have thought these might have been done far earlier in the process. She says:

I wanted to share what I can confirm at present, what remains to be resolved.

What is confirmed or underway

• The section between Bicester and Bletchley (Milton Keynes) is substantially complete.
• Chiltern Railways has been appointed as the operator for the Oxford – Milton Keynes service.
• There has been route training and testing on the line, and freight traffic is already using parts of the route.
• The target for opening to passenger services is late 2025. Several reports cite December 2025 as the expected date for operations to begin, however EWR have not confirmed an official date.

What is still outstanding

• Although most infrastructure is complete, finishing works remain at some stations (for example, at Winslow).
• Regulatory and safety approvals must still be finalised, which includes certifying all systems, signalling, safety compliance.

I fully recognise how much this service is needed, and I monitor progress very closely. I meet regularly with representatives of East West Rail to review developments, and will continue to do so.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 13 Sep 2025 ==

Not sure if this is the right place to put this but the BBC have an article Train depot reopens after £80m redevelopment

which says:

The Bletchley Train Maintenance Depot in the Buckinghamshire town was reopening by Lord Peter Hendy.

London Northwestern Railway will use the depot to maintain its new fleet of electric trains, which began running this summer, and trains on the Bletchley to Bedford line.

The site will also be used to support trains that will be used on the East West Rail line.

 

[Nicholas43]

On 18 September 2025, in answer to a written question (UIN76304) from Layla Moran MP, Simon Lightwood, Parliamentary Under Secretary for Local Transport, offered this:

The Department is working closely with Chiltern and other partners to confirm a start date for the service. We are looking forward to commencing services as soon as all necessary approvals and infrastructure are in place. Passenger services will commence once train testing and driver training have been completed. As for the second and third connections phases; the Government has committed to accelerating work to deliver EWR services between Oxford-Bedford. The full Oxford-Cambridge service is subject to an application for a Development Consent Order and is planned to commence from the mid-2030s.

 

[Robin Edwards]

How much notice would Chiltern Railways need in publishing a MKC to Oxford timetable? News that Trains would be running by end of 2025 is sort of running out of time, isn't it? - Now end of 2026?

 

[The Planner]

How much notice would Chiltern Railways need in publishing a MKC to Oxford timetable? News that Trains would be running by end of 2025 is sort of running out of time, isn't it? - Now end of 2026?

If they followed the informed traveller process, then bid them at 16 weeks out and published at 12. Its not as though it needs to be written.

 

[Bletchleyite]

If they followed the informed traveller process, then bid them at 16 weeks out and published at 12. Its not as though it needs to be written.

So the earliest it could possibly start now is about February? Crikey, it'll be 2027 before we even know it.

 

[The Planner]

So the earliest it could possibly start now is about February? Crikey, it'll be 2027 before we even know it.

Process can be broken if its deemed the right thing to do.

 

[Watershed]

They can always bid later, Informed Traveller is an aim but it's not a cutoff really. Especially in a case like this where there wouldn't be too many consequential timetable changes since the paths are essentially already there.

 

[zwk500]

So the earliest it could possibly start now is about February? Crikey, it'll be 2027 before we even know it.

In theory Chiltern could submit an A4C bid to run them with less than a week's notice, if all that needs to happen is the paths are re-numbered from Class 5s to Class 1s/2s.

 

[williamn]

I see the Oxford Clarion is reporting that services now won’t start until next year.

Oxford Clarion (@oxfordclarion.bsky.social)

Separately, the Clarion understands East-West Rail trains are unlikely to start running until 2026, raising the possibility that electric taxis will be flying between Oxford and Cambridge before the first passenger train has reached Milton Keynes.

bsky.app

the Clarion understands East-West Rail trains are unlikely to start running until 2026

Is this confirmed or just a rumour and what on earth could be the cause for a further delay? I had understood they’d start with the December timetable which in itself seemed a very long time to wait.

 

[dk1]

I see the Oxford Clarion is reporting that services now won’t start until next year.

Oxford Clarion (@oxfordclarion.bsky.social)

Separately, the Clarion understands East-West Rail trains are unlikely to start running until 2026, raising the possibility that electric taxis will be flying between Oxford and Cambridge before the first passenger train has reached Milton Keynes.

bsky.app

“the Clarion understands East-West Rail trains are unlikely to start running until 2026”

Is this confirmed or just a rumour and what on earth could be the cause for a further delay? I had understood they’d start with the December timetable which in itself seemed a very long time to wait.

Isn’t a lot due to union disagreements with how trains/crews operate?

 

[Brush 4]

No surprise, it has been clear for some time that opening isn't imminent, by the deafening silence.