Latest News
 
  Network Rail confident [May 2010]  
 
 

Network Rail appear confident that their plan to build a rail flyover at Hitchin will be approved following the public inquiry, which ended in late May 2010.

They produced a closing statement which stated: "All landowners whose interests would be compulsorily acquired have either withdrawn their objections or are imminently expected to; or have not appeared to pursue them. NR's assertion that no farm would go out of business has not been challenged. The objections of the statutory authorities have also been withdrawn.

"Existing long distance train journey times decrease with the scheme. In the May 2011 emerging timetable an aggregate 20 minutes of pathing time will be saved for 20 long distance ECML services with trains saving half a minute to 2 minutes. These savings generate £800k per annum of benefits using the DfT appraisal guidance.

"The Hitchin grade separation benefit:cost ratio has been calculated at 5.5 over 60 years."

A summary and the full Network Rail statement can be viewed in our Documents section.

 
 

 
  Hitchin flyover inquiry begins [May 2010]  
 
 

A public inquiry into a new railway flyover at Hitchin started this week, the Hitchin Comet has reported.

The new Cambridge Junction flyover will allow frequency and journey time improvements on the East Coast Main Line and could be used by future Oxford to Cambridge trains running via Bedford. An independent inspector will examine the evidence submitted by Network Rail, supporters and objectors at the open inquiry at The Spirella Ballroom in Letchworth Garden City.

The new track, partly on embankment and partly on viaduct, would take the Hitchin to Cambridge line over the East Coast Main Line and the work is scheduled to take 27 months from September 2011.

 
 

 
  All major parties back East West Rail Link [May 2010]  
 
 

All three major parties have said they back the East West rail plan to link the East of England with Bedford and Oxford, according to the BBC 2010 Election web site.

Baroness Shirley Williams joined Lord Adonis in supporting the plans to link Norwich and Ipswich with Bedford and Luton and beyond, while a Conservative spokesperson said they would ensure "schemes like the East-West rail link deliver the best possible value for money."

Full story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/england/8656074.stm.

 
 

 
  South East of England Partnership reviews funding options for East West Rail [Mar 2010]  
 
 

On 12 March 2010 the South East of England Partnership decided to review funding options with a view to including East West Rail in the Delivering a Sustainable Transport System (DaSTS) Interim Report which will be presented to the Regional Transport Board in June 2010.

The Transport Board of the South East England Partnership has a key role in advising Government on significant transport issues in the South East. It is responsible for the Regional Transport Strategy (RTS), which ensures transport projects in the region complement and support sustainable development. The Board is made up of county and unitary councillors and other organisations such as the Highways Agency and Network Rail.

Transport Board report: http://www.se-partnershipboard.org.uk/upload/files/rtb_100312_agenda_item_8_east_west_rail.pdf.

 
 

 
  DfT awards funding to allow East West route to be used for container traffic [Jan 2010]  
 
 

For cost reasons it had previously been intended to retain the single track in the narrow Wolvercote Tunnel on the railway line between Oxford and Bicester. However, on 15th January 2010 the DfT announced that funding for twin tracking (involving the movement of the track from the centre to one side) and gauge clearance of the tunnel to W12+ gauge so that modern 9' 6" "high cube" container freight as part of its support for the Evergreen 3 project. This work is an essential ingredient for use of the route for long distance container freight. Its value will only be fully realised when the rest of the line to Bletchley and Bedford is restored.

 
 

 
  Chiltern Railways submits TWA Order application for Oxford-Bicester-London Marylebone [Jan 2010]  
 
 

On 15th January 2010 Chiltern Railways submitted an application for a Transport & Works Act (TWA) order for the new 800-metre chord linking the Marylebone-Birmingham mainline with the Bicester Town-Oxford line, which will form the western-most section of the East West Rail Link. As well as leading to a major upgrade of the route between Oxford and Bicester, providing a new park and station at Water Eaton in north Oxford and second platforms at Islip and Bicester Town, which do not require TWA powers, the £250m scheme will also reinstate the Birmingham Moor Street station terminus platforms and improve line speeds. Network Rail is providing funding and will recover the money through "facility charges" over 30 years; Chiltern's franchise lasts until 2021. See link to EWRL Consortium press release: http://www.eastwestrail.org.uk/news/documents/PRESSRELEASE-EWRC150110.pdf.

 
 

 
  East West Rail Consortium fears that recession may delay opening of railway [Nov 2090]  
 
 

The East West Rail Consortium had hoped to commence construction of the western section (linking Oxford to Bletchley) in late 2010 for opening in 2012. However, largely because of the economic recession, which has affected housing and commercial developments, it is now proposing to start construction in early 2014 for route reopening in late 2015. Obviously Railfuture and other rail campaign groups are unhappy about this and are pushing strongly for the entire project to move forward.

 
 

 
  Lord Adonis asks East West Rail Consortium how he could help to make rail link happen [Sep 2009]  
 
 

On 2nd September 2009 representatives of the East West Rail Consortium along with Phyllis Starkey MP and Evan Harris MP met Lord Adonis, Secretary of State for Transport, at the DfT's offices in London to discuss progress on the western section of the East West rail link.

Lord Adonis said that in his view the project was a great scheme had he wanted to know how he could help to make it happen. The Consortium representatives explained to him that there was potential to obtain around £50-60m of contributions from private developers for new housing but contributions could not be levied on housing projects that had already received planning consent. However, the transport component of the Regional Funding Advice is another potential source of funding, and the rail link has been identified as a regional priority by the Regional Transport Board, and the Consortium stressed that government support for the scheme would help to secure this funding. Network Rail's Great Western Route Utilisation Study has recognised the importance of reopening the line between Oxford and Bletchley and envisages utilisation of the Bletchley to Bedford route for freight connections to the Midland Mainline.

The cost of the western section would be reduced by £60-70m if the Chiltern Railways Evergreen 3 project, which proposes a high-quality route from Marylebone to Oxford, goes ahead.

The meeting agreed that further work needs to be conducted by 2013 in order to include the scheme within Network Rail's contractual 2014-2019 Control Period 5 funding for schemes. The Consortium intends to develop a fully-costed programme leading to a 2014 start date.

See link to summary of meeting: Consortium meeting with Lord Adonis on 02/09/2009.

 
 

 
  Chiltern Railways plans for Oxford-Bicester-London Marylebone gives EWRL big boost [May 2009]  
 
 

More than 90% of visitors at Chiltern Railways' exhibitions in Oxford, Bicester and Kidlington, held between 17 and 25 April, expressed their overall support for the scheme to upgrade the railway from Oxford to Bicester with a new chord to the London-Birmingham Chiltern route. See link to news item: Plans for a new London to Oxford railway receive overwhelming public support and Chiltern's proposals Evergreen 3 project.

 
 

 
  Railfuture writes to Consortium welcoming and commenting on Steer Davies Gleeve's Report [April 2009]  
 
 

Railfuture wrote to the East West Rail Consortium with the following comments:

  • Railfuture welcomes the report commissioned by the EWRC
  • We commend the decision not to take the evaluation of the “Northern Route” via Manton further
  • We welcome the development of the option to route via Luton and Stevenage. The connectivity possibilities of this routing appear to be very high
  • We approve of the decision to opt for Cambridge, Norwich and Ipswich as final service destinations. We thus support the further investigation of option 1c
  • We would urge more work to evaluate the option to use the erstwhile Bedford to Hitchin direct route*. We feel that this route may well maximize the potential for the fastest end to end journey times
  • Bedford is a major population centre and we feel that there must be very compelling reasons for the town not be on the core EWRL.
  •  
     

     
      Support for Steer Davies Gleeve 'Options for Central Section' Proposals [March 2009]  
     
     

    Various stakeholders have written to the East West Rail Consortium to comment on the Central Section options to link the East Coast Main line with the Midland Main Line to 'bridge the missing link'.

    In March 2009 Herts County Council backed plans to build a rail link between Stevenage and Luton.

    Derrick Ashley, executive member for planning at Herts County Council, said: "It's been a long standing ambition to improve the East-West rail links at the council. The link between Luton and Stevenage is a new idea that could provide the missing link. My concern is that anything we do does not impact on the routes in and out of London. And it is not an easy option to build a railway of course - there are a lot environmental issues. We are at a very early stage and in this economic climate where the money would even be found is questionable."

     
     

     
      Consortium issues new report 'East West Rail Central Section Operating Case' [February 2009]  
     
     

    The East West Rail Consortium has issued a new report 'East West Rail Central Section Operating Case', see Report, which looks at the route options to link Milton Keynes / Bletchley with Cambridge, Stansted, Norwich, and Ipswich. The report also proposes service patterns for the whole East West route.

    Please read the report, and the covering letter, and send in your comments. Send your comments by post or email as described in the covering letter. Here are some features of the report you may like to comment on:

  • The report says that the focus of the route should be Oxford – Cambridge. But some of the preferred options go directly to Stansted, leaving Cambridge out.
  • Some of the preferred options make use of congested sections of existing main lines (the Midland and the East Coast), but the authors have not checked whether slots are actually available.
  • Milton Keynes is served by two separate routes, one from Oxford and one from Cambridge. There are also direct trains from Oxford to Cambridge, but, overall, there would be a greater choice of train times if MK was on a through route, with the trains from Oxford going on to Cambridge and vice versa.
  • All the trains would be only two carriages initially. Anyone who travels from Cambridge or Oxford to the Midlands knows how crowded even three or four carriages can get. What would two be like?
  • The report recommends extending the route south from Oxford, to Didcot and Reading. But there are already frequent trains from Oxford to Reading. A better southern terminus would be Swindon as there is no longer any direct service from Oxford. Swindon would also give much faster connections to Bristol and Wales than would Reading.
  • On the eastern end of the route, the report confirms the destinations should be Norwich and Ipswich. But, between Cambridge and Norwich / Ipswich, the EW new service would run in place of the existing service, so there would be no increase in capacity over this increasingly well-used route.
  •  
     

     
      Trackbed at western end cleared to allow technical surveys and ground investigations [January 2009]  
     
     

    The disused route betwene Claydon Junction (near to Bicester) and just west of Bletchley, is to be cleared of vegetation over a two week period in anaury so that the track bed can be carefully examined. Patrick O'Sullivan, East-West Rail project manager for the Milton Keynes Partnership, said: "Once the site clearance is completed, the engineers and surveyors will begin their technical surveys and ground investigations to enable the design work of the new track and associated railway engineering works for the western section of the East-West Rail project."

     
     
    Don't forget to register your support with Railfuture
     
    Please click Register Support to enter your details so that Railfuture knows who supports the scheme.
     
    Support Our Campaigning - Join Railfuture - Annual Rates: £21 adults, £14 concessions
     

    It's not necessary to join Railfuture as a member to support our work and campaigns. But it would help our campaigns even more, not just financially but also our influence, if you become a member.

    It's very easy: visit www.railfuture.org.uk and click on 'join Railfuture' - you can then download and print a membership form. Alternatively, please request a membership form from membership@railfuture.org.uk or write to:

    Membership Secretary
    6 Carral Close
    Brant Road
    Lincoln
    LN5 9BD