text: East West Rail Link
  east west rail link, south west rail link
  East West Rail Link2 is a planned railway route linking Didcot, Oxford, Bicester, Milton Keynes, Bedford, Cambridge, Ipswich and Norwich in England using part of the former Varsity Line and thus provide a route between any or all of the Great Western, Chiltern, West Coast, Midland, East Coast, West Anglia and Great Eastern main lines, avoiding London The western section from Oxford to Bedford was approved by the Government in November 2011,3 with completion of this section expecteda by 20254 Although most media attention is focussed on passenger services, the route is expected to be just as important for freight
  "Western section" from Oxford to Bedford on existing lines, including the mothballed section between Bletchley and Claydon Junction; the scope of this section originally included a branch line to Aylesbury;
  "Eastern section" from Cambridge to Norwich, Felixstowe and Ipswich on existing lines
  It was initially promoted by the East-West Rail Consortium, a consortium of local authorities and interested bodies along the route and has since been adopted by the Department for Transport and will be delivered by Network Rail and a private sector franchisee
  As of December 2016update, the segment from Oxford via Bicester Village to the junction with the Chiltern Main Line is operational
  22 Design and service pattern considerations
  24 Developments and announcements
  31 The central section
  32 The Eastern section
  The link is promoted by the East West Rail Consortium, which was initiated by Ipswich Borough Council in 1995 and has since been chaired by both Buckinghamshire County Council and Oxfordshire County Council5 Ipswich Council and its neighbours were particularly concerned about poor services within East Anglia and the links to London Some success was achieved east of Cambridge, at least partly through the efforts of the group6
  In April 2006, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister reported itself to be in favour of the principle of re-opening the link between Bedford and Oxford7
  In May 2006 the Department of Transport announced8 specific plans for Bletchley railway station The document stated that "it is likely" that Bletchley area renewals and network simplification will take place "by 2010", "to include a high-level platform" for Bedford trains "The network will be suitable for the later addition of any 'East-West' link to and from Oxford and for the operation of through links from either Oxford or Bedford to and from Milton Keynes"
  In March 2007, a study funded by the East West Rail Consortium declared at p 38, 51 A very good operating and business case exists for a "base case" for a 2 trains per hour passenger service between Oxford and Milton Keynes, and an operating case also exists for the Aylesbury spur which would bring further economic and strategic advantages to the subregion Capital cost for the base case is between £100m – £135m The base case and the Aylesbury options should be further considered in the next phase of work9
  In April 2008, the Department for Transport responded to an e-petition for support on East West Rail by reiterating that they would encourage private funding10
  In the 2011 Autumn Statement by Chancellor George Osborne, the East West railway between Oxford, Aylesbury Vale Parkway and Bedford was adopted by the Department for Transport, and £270 million was committed to the scheme to fund its development11 This was confirmed in July 2012 when the Secretary of State for Transport, Justine Greening, announced that the Western section of East West Rail EWR would be part of the government's strategy for rail transport12
  Phase 1 – Western Sectionedit
  The western section will link Oxford and Bedford via Bletchley, with connections to the West Coast Main Line and the Midland Main Line It will use the Oxford to Bicester Line, a renovated section of the Varsity Line from Bicester to Bletchley, and finally the Marston Vale Line from Bletchey to Bedford The existing Cherwell Valley Line will form a link to the Great Western Main Line at Didcot Parkway railway station Passenger services to Milton Keynes Central via the WCML and Aylesbury via the existing freight line from Claydon Junction were also planned13
  The first part of this work, re-doubling the Oxford to Bicester Line and reconnecting it to the Chiltern Main Line, was largely in completed in 2015 and fully operational from December 2016; the remaining work from Bicester and Aylesbury to Bedford has been greatly delayed, and is scheduled for completion in 20241415
  In February 2008 the consortium published a business case for re-opening the western section of the route funded by Milton Keynes Partnership MKP, South East England Regional Assembly, South East England Development Agency and the consortium16
  In March 2008, a £2 million engineering survey of the existing and removed tracks was launched,17 and those undertaking the engineering survey stated that a 100 mph 160 km/h link between Oxford and Bletchley could be achieved for around £190 million If construction had started in 2009 as they then hoped, the upgraded / re-opened line could have been in service by 201217
  In November 2008 the Milton Keynes Partnership, Chiltern Railways and the consortium formally agreed to take their proposals forward together Chiltern Railways would take the lead on the upgrading of the Oxford-Bicester section with its Project Evergreen 3 and the Milton Keynes Partnership would lead for the rest of the line to Bletchley18
  In December 2008 the commissioning of a further report, to take the project forward to GRIP Stage 4 single option selection, was announced This was to encompass work to analyse the additional requirements as outlined above, not previously considered in detail, to GRIP Stage 3 equivalent, as well as revisiting the future requirements for the existing Bletchley-Bedford line19
  According to section 3 of the October 2008 Progress report,20 during 2008 a number of proposals from other parties emerged which might have a significant impact on the project:
  a proposal by Chiltern Railways to run Oxford-Bicester-London passenger services via a mooted new south-to-east chord to the existing Chiltern line
  Section 3 also states that there is some uncertainty over various parties' requirements for the existing Bletchley-Bedford railway
  Infrastructural assessment investigations would be taken forward in parallel with this work funded by £2 million of contribution, half directly by the Department of Communities and Local Government and the other half in varying proportions from various local authorities' Growth Area Funding allocation Work to clear vegetation from the redundant section of line for the infrastructure assessment started in January 200921
  Design and service pattern considerationsedit
  The February 2008 report identified two options defined from different perspectives, the "Regional Rail" option the best commercial case and the "Local Rail" option as identified by the requirements mainly of local authorities and business interests As part of existing upgrades, a new bay platform has been provided at Milton Keynes Central, which will be able to receive the local services The infrastructure between Oxford and Bletchley required by both options is essentially the same The spur from Calvert to Aylesbury is only included in the Local option, though about 20% of southern part of the route has already been reinstated under the Aylesbury Vale Parkway project The line from north of Wolvercote Tunnel just north of Oxford through Bicester to Bletchley would be enabled for 100 mph 160 km/h double-track running The Oxford-Wolvercote Tunnel section, and the Aylesbury-Calvert line if also provided, would be 90 mph 140 km/h single-track working A new high-level platform would be provided at Bletchley, with new stations under the Local option only at Winslow and Newton Longville22
  Both options would see the present hourly "all stations" stopping service between Bletchley and Bedford reduced to every two hours apparently conflicting with the stated aim of improving stopping services, but with an additional hourly semi-fast service stopping only at Woburn Sands Both options would provide two services per hour over the Oxford-Bletchley section: under the Regional option, both services would serve Milton Keynes Central via the West Coast Main Line; under the Local option there would be more stops than the semi-fast Regional Rail service, and one service would continue semi-fast to Bedford instead, with an additional Milton Keynes Central train serving Aylesbury via Bletchley A further possible hybrid option was identified based on the Regional Rail option, but with the additional hourly train serving Aylesbury working through to Bedford
  Following a joint travelling exhibition by the Consortium, Milton Keynes Partnership and Chiltern Railways in April 200923 the May EWRC 2009 publicity leaflet and current June 2004 website cite the following proposed service patterns:
  Oxford to Bedford: 1tph train per hour stopping Oxford-Bletchley, semi-fast Bletchley-Bedford fastest through journey 43 minutes
  Bletchley to Bedford: 1tph stopping all stations fastest through journey 42 minutes
  Oxford to Milton Keynes Central: 1tph stopping all stations fastest through journey 47 minutes
  Aylesbury to Milton Keynes Central: 1tph stopping all stations fastest through journey 33 minutes This could potentially be an extension of a service from London Marylebone via High Wycombe13
  Additionally, since December 2016, Chiltern Railways have provided 2tph between Oxford and London Marylebone using the section between Oxford and Bicester as part of Chiltern's Evergreen 3 project The necessary chord between the Oxford–Bletchley line and the Chiltern Main Line has been completed and the service commenced initially from Oxford Parkway on 26 October 201524
  In the 2011 Autumn Statement by Chancellor George Osborne, the East West railway between Oxford, Aylesbury Vale Parkway and Bedford was approved and funded, with £270 million committed to the scheme11 A new station was to open at Winslow and a high-level station built at Bletchley The Bicester Village to Bletchley and the Aylesbury to Claydon Junction sections were to be upgraded or built to a 90-100 mph line speed11 At that stage it was due for completion in 20191125
  "The Secretary of State for Transport, the Rt Hon Justine Greening MP, today announced that the Western section of East West Rail EWR will be part of the government's strategy for rail transport, confirming not only funding for the project but also for electrification of the Oxford to Bedford part of the route EWR will provide an electric link between the electrified Great Western, West Coast and Midland main lines This further investment in the project upgrades it to form a key part of the new 'Electric Spine' passenger and freight route between the South Coast, the East Midlands and Yorkshire"3
  Developments and announcementsedit
  Vegetation clearance works, 3 miles west of Bletchley, March 2014
  On 10 January 2013 Network Rail announced its intention to construct the western section between Bedford and Oxford, Aylesbury and Milton Keynes, as part of their five-year strategic business plan 2014–2019 The target date for train services to be operational on this section was December 2017 Electrification of the line between Oxford and Bedford was also included in the budget and target completion date was March 201726
  In November 2013, The East West Rail consortium pledged an additional £45M to the project The chair of the East West Rail joint delivery board, Councillor Janet Blake presented a letter to Transport Minister Philip Hammond, confirming the financial commitment from the Board 27
  From 1 February 2014, Network Rail began clearing vegetation that had grown over the abandoned track28
  In March 2014, Carillion and Buckingham Group announced that they were to undertake construction of the new link, commencing with the Oxford to Bicester stretch, with a contract value of £87 million,29 but later that month Network Rail stated that there would be a delay in the completion of the line by two years until 201930
  In early April 2014, Network Rail acknowledged that the busy level crossing between Woburn Sands and Milton Keynes is presenting "a headache"31 The report goes on to say that the crossing near Bow Brickhill Brickhill Street in Milton Keynes to the A5 will be replaced with a bridge31
  In May 2014, Network Rail announced that the line will be opened to 125 mph 200 km/h running, the current top speed for InterCity services It is proposed that CrossCountry services, along with Chiltern Railways and London Midland services will use the route32
  In July 2015, Sir Peter Hendy was appointed Chairman of Network Rail "and asked by the Secretary of State to conduct a thorough review of the enhancement programme in England & Wales to see what can be delivered in an affordable and timely way within the funding period to 2019"33 The report states p15 "During CP5 development work will continue into the full re-opening of the route between Bicester and Bletchley and delivery will be started as soon as possible"33 However, in the Table p37 that lists in detail the revised work programme, the route is shown as one of the "Projects with significant delivery in CP5 and completion in CP6"33 CP6 is 2019 – 2024
  As part of the Budget of March 2016, the Chancellor, George Osborne, wrote to the National Infrastructure Commission to ask them to develop proposals for unlocking growth, housing and jobs in the Cambridge – Milton Keynes – Oxford corridor The letter made reference to the East-West Rail Link, raising the possibility of further development of the line in the future3435
  In May 2016, the Department for Transport revealed that it 'is considering a new franchise to operate services on the east-west rail link' and that 'development of the proposed franchise will start in 2018 including a competition period'36
  By August 2016, it became clear that Network Rail considers the project to be 'no longer the third most important project in the country' after HS2 and Crossrail and that delivery of the core of the Western Section Oxford to Bedford via Bletchley might slip beyond 2024,14 with the connection to Aylesbury due even later15 Cllr Rodney Rose, chair of the East West Rail Consortium suggested that the main causes of the delay include delays arising from rail electrification difficulties and fiscal uncertainty arising from the UK's decision to leave the European Union14 However, in November 2016, Cllr Rose was able to draw attention to remarks by the new Transport Secretary, Chris Grayling MP, that suggest that project remains in the Government's expenditure plans37
  In November 2016, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond announced £110M funding to ensure completion of the Bicester - Bedford segment by 20254
  In December 2016, the Transport Secretary announced his decision to privatise the line38 A new entity will be responsible for track and infrastructure, as well as operating train services: this, he believes, will deliver an Oxford-Cambridge service at an earlier date than is realistic for an overcommitted Network Rail38
  The section from Oxford through Bicester Village to the Chiltern Main Line is operational Chiltern Railways began service from Oxford Parkway to Marylebone on 26 October 2015,24 and from Oxford station on 11 December 201639
  The central sectionedit
  Central section of route, from Bedford to Cambridge As of July 2015, Network Rail has discarded the southern option Options relating to Stansted airport link
  There is currently no suitable route from Bedford to Cambridge using disused trackbed because key sections of the route have been re-used for other purposes since the Bedford to Cambridge line closed in 1968 These include the Ryle Telescope as part of the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory, the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway, National Cycle Route 51 and also housing at Potton and Sandy
  In March 2016, Network Rail announced that the link would connect to the East Coast Main Line ECML via or near Sandy40 In the 2016 Autumn Statement, the chancellor announced £10 million of funding to continue to develop planning for the route41
  The possible Stansted Airport link would use the East Coast Main Line via the Hertford Loop Line and the Hertford East Branch Line to the West Anglia Main Line heading north and would involve the creation of a route between Hertford East station and Hertford North in Hertford, which presents significant difficulties42 and a new chord near Rye House railway station43
  The Eastern sectionedit
  The track in this section is all in place and operational: from Cambridge to Norwich, Felixstowe and Ipswich The plan would see more services on the existing Felixstowe Branch Line, Ipswich to Ely Line, and parts of the East Suffolk Line and Great Eastern Main Line An hourly service in both directions between Cambridge and Ipswich was started in 2004 There is also an hourly passenger service between Norwich and Cambridge operated by Abellio Greater Anglia
  A section of Felixstowe Branch Line was doubled in 2009 to allow freight trains to pass each other at Derby Road in Ipswich44 and there were plans to double of 8 km of route from Nacton to Trimley45 together with other work as part of the Felixstowe and Nuneaton freight capacity scheme The "Bacon Factory Curve" in Ipswich was completed in March 2014 to allow trains from Felixstowe to continue to the West Midlands without reversing at Ipswich46
  ^ "Network Rail CP5 update" PDF Enhancements delivery plan update Network Rail Retrieved 24 January 2016
  ^ "Front Page" East West Rail Consortium Retrieved 4 July 2008
  ^ a b "East West Rail gets final go ahead and electrification" East West Rail 16 July 2012 Retrieved 13 October 2012
  ^ "The Consortium" East West Consortium Retrieved 5 May 2009
  ^ "Eastern: Ipswich/Norwich to Cambridge" East West Rail Consortium Retrieved 4 July 2008
  ^ "Green light for rail link" Milton Keynes Citizen 18 April 2006 Retrieved 27 April 2008 dead link
  ^ "West Coast Main Line: Progress Report May 2006" PDF Department for Transport Archived from the original PDF on 8 July 2006
  ^ "Guide to Railway Investment Projects GRIP Stage 2 Report Final Report" PDF Press release East West Rail 1 February 2007 Archived from the original PDF on 5 September 2008 Retrieved 27 April 2008
  ^ "East-west-rail – epetition reply" Retrieved 27 April 2008
  ^ "Railway will create 12,000 jobs | Meridian – ITV News" Itvcom 12 October 2012 Retrieved 13 October 2012
  ^ a b "FAQ" East West Rail Retrieved 1 December 2015
  ^ a b c East West Rail 'no longer third most important project in country' – Rail Technology Magazine, 260816
  ^ a b "East West Rail delivery could be delayed by seven years" wwwrailtechnologymagazinecom Retrieved 14 November 2016
  ^ "East West Rail, Western Section: GRIP Stage 3 Report" PDF Retrieved 5 May 2009
  ^ a b Little, Reg 7 March 2008 "MK Rail Link Plan on Track" The Oxford Times Retrieved 27 April 2008
  ^ "Agreement with Chiltern Railways puts East West Rail scheme on track" PDF Press release East West Rail 10 November 2008 Retrieved 9 May 2008
  ^ "Work starts to complete design for East West Rail" PDF Press release East West Rail 18 December 2008 Retrieved 9 May 2008
  ^ "Progress Report October 2008" PDF Press release East West Rail 30 October 2008 Retrieved 9 May 2008
  ^ "Clearing the way for East West Rail design" PDF Press release East West Rail 16 January 2009 Retrieved 9 May 2008
  ^ "GRIP 4 Outline Business Case, Final Report – Executive Summary July 2010" PDF East West Rail Archived from the original PDF on 25 February 2014
  ^ "East West Rail & Chiltern Railways go public!" PDF Press release East West Rail 17 April 2009 Retrieved 10 May 2008
  ^ a b "Connecting Oxford Parkway to the Chiltern Main Line" Rail Technology Magazine 1 August 2015 Retrieved 1 December 2015
  ^ "Network Rail Announce Plans to Construct Western Section of East West Rail Link" Press release East West Rail 10 January 2013 Retrieved 17 February 2013
  ^ "Varsity rail reopening makes tracks" Retrieved 20 November 2013
  ^ "Carillion Buckingham JV wins £87m Chiltern rail link" Construction Enquirer 10 March 2014 Retrieved 6 April 2014
  ^ "Disappointment as East West Rail delayed by two years" Press release Bucks Herald 31 March 2014 Retrieved 31 March 2014
  ^ a b Network Rail admit level crossing near Milton Keynes is causing a headache – MKWeb, 5 April 2014 via Archiveorg
  ^ Hellier, Alex 14–27 May 2014 East West Rail develops into 125mph inter-regional route Peterborough: RAIL p 13
  ^ a b c Report from Sir Peter Hendy to the Secretary of State for Transport on the replanning of Network Rail's Investment Programme – Network Rail, 25 November 2015 pdf
  ^ National Infrastructure Commission: Chancellor's letter to Lord Adonis and terms of reference - govuk, March 2016
  ^ "Preferred central route for East West Rail announced"
  ^ "EAST HERTS COUNCIL – EAST WEST RAIL CENTRAL SECTION CONSULTATION" East Herts Council Retrieved 14 May 2009
  ^ "Missing Link Report – consortium version Feb09" PDF Ipswich Borough Council February 2009 Retrieved 14 May 2009
  ^ "Felixstowe South reconfiguration inspector's report – Page 53" Department of Transport Archived from the original on 4 March 2010 Retrieved 5 May 2009
  ^ "The effect of the proposed development on safety and the free flow of traffic and its consistency with national transport planning policies" Department of Transport Archived from the original on 4 March 2010 Retrieved 5 May 2009
  ^ "SITE NAME: Between railway junction and Hadleigh Rd" Retrieved 5 May 2009
  Magic Roundabout High Wycombe
  Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway under construction
  East West Rail Link Varsity Line
  Parts of Electric Spine including
  Oxford–Bletchley-Bedford
  Great Western Main Line including
  Slough–Windsor & Eton
  east west rail link, east west rail link map nepal, east west rail link winslow, south west rail link, south west rail link sydney