East West Rail will unlock growth and productivity and benefit communities right across the Oxford-Cambridge corridor. It will create faster, more direct rail connections and improve access to employment, training, and education.
East West Rail is a central part of the Government’s plans for growth in the region and has the potential to support up to 100,000 new homes, providing well connected, sustainable communities. By 2050, East West Rail is set to boost the regional economies of the counties between Oxford and Cambridge by £6.7 billion every year.
Major infrastructure work for the first stage of East West Rail between Oxford and Milton Keynes via Bicester Village has now been delivered and is operational for freight and charter trains. The Department is supporting Chiltern Railways as it works closely with unions and other industry partners to get services on the first phase of East West Rail up and running as soon as possible.
At the 2025 spending review, the Government announced £2.5 billion to progress the next stages of the scheme. East West Railway Company has today published its “You Said, We Did” report setting out updated proposals for the railway and how feedback from the 2024 non-statutory consultation has been considered in its plans. The updated proposals include:
Increasing capacity on the line to deliver more frequent services for passengers;
Consolidation of stations along the Marston Vale Line (Bletchley-Bedford) into four new, modern and accessible stations on new sites at Woburn Sands, Ridgmont, Lidlington, and Stewartby;
Plans for the new station at Bedford St Johns and for the redevelopment of Bedford station to improve passenger experience and access to the station;
Updated options for the replacement of Bicester London Road level crossing;
The proposed alignment of the railway and the new east coast main line interchange station at Tempsford;
The location of the new station at Cambourne;
A new station at Cambridge East, subject to third party funding; and
Partial-discontinuous electrification of the line to provide passenger services using hybrid battery-electric trains.
The latest proposals for East West Rail reflect the Government’s commitment to realising the full potential of the Oxford-Cambridge corridor and delivering improved connectivity for communities in the region.
East West Rail Company will continue to engage with local communities on the proposals ahead of further consultation in 2026 before finalising its application for a development consent order to build the railway. As part of its preparation for the DCO application, it is considering the opportunities from proposed reforms in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.
The Department for Transport will be issuing updated safeguarding directions for East West Rail in line with today’s announcement. I am placing a copy of the safeguarding directions in the Library in both Houses.
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