Aylesbury section of East West Rail must be built, say project leads
It's as the government announced a further £760m for the railway
£760-million has been given to East West Rail, to get the section through Aylesbury Vale built.
But there is a warning from the group building the line between Oxford and Bedford that the railway's full potential won't be realised if the Aylesbury section isn't built.
We are still waiting on confirmation the stretch from Vale Parkway to Winslow will be built.
The investment means further vital construction work can begin and represents an important milestone in the East West Rail project.
Delivery of this stage is expected to provide work for 1,500 people, injecting an estimated £1.1bn into the local economy.
Sue Clark, Chair of the East West Rail Consortium of local authorities which has campaigned for the scheme and produced its original business case, said:
“We welcome the Government’s continued commitment to delivering East West Rail. The announcement means that in just a few years’ time, we will see the first East West Rail services from Oxford to Bletchley and Milton Keynes – a milestone worth celebrating.
“We look forward to having confirmation that Milton Keynes-Aylesbury and Bletchley-Bedford will also be delivered as soon as possible. While each section brings its own benefits to the communities it serves, East West Rail’s full transformational potential will only be realised if it is delivered in full.
“We will continue to press the case for the investment in these two sections by working with the East West Railway Company to ensure that their proposals meet the requirements of users and communities for the decades to come. And we will continue to press the Government for an early decision on the investment that will allow those sections to be delivered as soon as possible.”
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:
"Restoring railways helps put communities back on the map, and this investment forms part of our nationwide effort to build back vital connections and unlock access to jobs, education and housing.
"Returning these routes to their former glory, and progressing work to reopen even more lines and stations shows our commitment to levelling up journeys across the country as we build back better from the pandemic."
If the project is fully realised, train services would come from London, up through Princes Risbrough to Aylesbury and onto Winslow and Milton Keynes.
Plans showed these trains running every hour.
Winslow's new station would also see services pass through from Oxford to MK.