East West Rail Consortium
Encyclopedia
East West Rail Link is a proposed new rail route in England to provide a fast outer orbital railway to the north of London, linking the Great Western Main Line
, Oxford
, Bicester
, Milton Keynes
, Bedford
, Cambridge
, Ipswich
and Norwich
for both passenger and freight traffic. It is being promoted by the East-West Rail Consortium, a consortium of local authorities and interested bodies along the route.
and the links to London. Some success was achieved east of Cambridge, at least partly through the efforts of the group.
In 2001, the Strategic Rail Authority
rejected the option to reopen the stretch of line between Bicester and Bletchley.
took over chairing the Consortium.
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 Oxford but gave no indication of underwriting that opinion.
In May 2006 the Department of Transport announced specific plans for Bletchley station. The document states 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 the expansion plans for Milton Keynes
, the area around Newton Longville
is to be extensively developed. A new passenger station for Newton Longville is included in the "MK2031" strategic plan, with a spur to a new platform at Milton Keynes Central
. The line to here has already been reinstated to take freight trains to the land-fill site nearby.
On 4 December 2006, work began at Milton Keynes Central to prepare for a service connection from the Marston Vale Line
. The project was completed in early 2009.
During 2006 it was announced that, in a bid to co-host the 2012 London Olympics
, a large rowing lake would be built near the former station site at Willington
in Bedfordshire, in return for a licence to extract gravel. The lake would cut through the route of the trackbed between Bedford and Sandy and any subsequent bridging costs would seem to be prohibitive, especially given the uninterrupted span that would be required to avoid obstructing the lake.
In March 2007, a study (funded by the councils and other interested parties along the route) declared at p. 38, 5.1 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 work.
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 funding.
The current proposal for a new eco-town
at Weston Otmoor
also proposes a dedicated new railway station on the Oxford-Bicester line, citing direct commuter trains to London, with the reinstated east-west rail link giving access to Milton Keynes and Oxford. The proposals were examined in summer 2008, and a further consultation period extends to April 2009.
Chiltern Railways
has opened Aylesbury Vale Parkway
(AVP) 3 miles (4.8 km) to the north west of Aylesbury town station, adjacent to the A41 and the major development at Berryfields on the old Varsity Line
in December 2008. It is also proposed that this line is extended further north to reach a rebuilt Oxford-Bletchley line. Chiltern Railways also has long-term aspirations to reach Milton Keynes.
, 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 by National Express East Anglia.
A section of Felixstowe Branch Line was recently doubled to allow freight trains to pass each other at Derby Road in Ipswich and there are plans to double of 8 km of route from Nacton to Trimley together with other work as part of the Felixstowe and Nuneaton freight capacity scheme
. The 'bacon chord' in Ipswich is be protected to allow trains from Felixstowe to continue to the West Midlands without reversing at Ipswich.
as part of the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory
, the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway
, National Cycle Route 51 and also housing and a proposed new rowing lake near Sandy.
Three main infrastructural options for linking to the ECML:
The central option has been costed at £250 million and the southern option at £300 million. An operational scenario based on the southern route but serving Cambridge and not Stansted was stated to have the best financial case. The northern route, though the cheapests was not fully pursued as it was considered to be outside the aims of the EWRC.
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 from Hertford East station
to Hertford North
in Hertford
with significant difficulties within Hertford
and a new chord near Rye House railway station
.
and possibly also Aylesbury. It would use the Oxford to Bicester Line
, then 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
would be used to link to the Great Western Main Line
at Didcot Parkway railway station
, and a new passenger service to Aylesbury might be created using a freight-only section of the Great Central Main Line
from Aylesbury Vale station connecting to the Marston Vale Line at Calvert, near Claydon. The western Section of the East West Link is being developed by the Milton Keynes Partnership and Chiltern Railways
.
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 consortium.
In March 2008, a £2 million engineering survey of the existing and removed tracks was launched, and those undertaking the engineering survey stated that a 100 mph link between Oxford and Bletchley could be achieved for around £190 million. If construction were to start in 2009 as they then hoped, the upgraded / re-opened line could be in service by 2012.
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 Bletchley.
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 line.
According to section 3 of the October 2008 Progress report, during 2008 a number of proposals from other parties emerged which might have a significant impact on the project:
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 2009.
According to the December 2008 announcement, a final outline design and report is expected by December 2009.
is only included in the Local option, though about 20% of southern part of the route has already been reinstated under the AVP project. The line from north of Wolvercote Tunnel (just north of Oxford) through Bicester to Bletchley would be enabled for 100 mph double-track running. The Oxford-Wolvercote Tunnel section, and the Aylesbury-Calvert line if also provided, would be 90 mph 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 Longville.
Both options would see the present hourly 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 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, an additional Milton Keynes 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.
Great Western Main Line
The Great Western Main Line is a main line railway in Great Britain that runs westwards from London Paddington station to the west of England and South Wales. The core Great Western Main Line runs from London Paddington to Temple Meads railway station in Bristol. A major branch of the Great...
, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, Bicester
Bicester
Bicester is a town and civil parish in the Cherwell district of northeastern Oxfordshire in England.This historic market centre is one of the fastest growing towns in Oxfordshire Development has been favoured by its proximity to junction 9 of the M40 motorway linking it to London, Birmingham and...
, Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
, Bedford
Bedford
Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to the former Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town...
, Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
and Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
for both passenger and freight traffic. It is being promoted by the East-West Rail Consortium, a consortium of local authorities and interested bodies along the route.
Initiation and early history
The link is promoted by the East West Rail Consortium, which was initiated by Ipswich Borough Council in 1995 and which it chaired for 10 years. The council and its neighbours were particularly concerned about poor services within East AngliaEast Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
and the links to London. Some success was achieved east of Cambridge, at least partly through the efforts of the group.
In 2001, the Strategic Rail Authority
Strategic Rail Authority
In existence from 2001 to 2006, the Strategic Rail Authority was a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom set up under the Transport Act 2000 to provide strategic direction for the railway industry....
rejected the option to reopen the stretch of line between Bicester and Bletchley.
More recent history and contingent projects
In 2005 Buckinghamshire County CouncilBuckinghamshire County Council
Buckinghamshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Buckinghamshire, in England, the United Kingdom. Its area of control does not include Milton Keynes, which is a unitary authority...
took over chairing the Consortium.
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 Oxford but gave no indication of underwriting that opinion.
In May 2006 the Department of Transport announced specific plans for Bletchley station. The document states 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 the expansion plans for Milton Keynes
Expansion plans for Milton Keynes
In January 2004, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott announced the United Kingdom government's Expansion plans for Milton KeynesHe proposed that the population of Milton Keynes should double in the subsequent 20 years...
, the area around Newton Longville
Newton Longville
Newton Longville is a village and civil parish in Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. The village is about south-west of Bletchley.-History:...
is to be extensively developed. A new passenger station for Newton Longville is included in the "MK2031" strategic plan, with a spur to a new platform at Milton Keynes Central
Milton Keynes Central railway station
Milton Keynes Central railway station serves Central Milton Keynes and the surrounding area of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. The station is located on the West Coast Main Line between the stations of Bletchley and Wolverton, both of which are also within Milton Keynes. The station is served by...
. The line to here has already been reinstated to take freight trains to the land-fill site nearby.
On 4 December 2006, work began at Milton Keynes Central to prepare for a service connection from the Marston Vale Line
Marston Vale Line
The Marston Vale Line is the railway line from Bletchley to Bedford in England. It is one of two surviving passenger-carrying sections of the "Varsity Line" between Oxford and Cambridge....
. The project was completed in early 2009.
During 2006 it was announced that, in a bid to co-host the 2012 London Olympics
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
, a large rowing lake would be built near the former station site at Willington
Willington, Bedfordshire
Willington is a village and civil parish located in the English county of Bedfordshire. It is west of Moggerhanger on the road from Sandy to Bedford...
in Bedfordshire, in return for a licence to extract gravel. The lake would cut through the route of the trackbed between Bedford and Sandy and any subsequent bridging costs would seem to be prohibitive, especially given the uninterrupted span that would be required to avoid obstructing the lake.
In March 2007, a study (funded by the councils and other interested parties along the route) declared at p. 38, 5.1 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 work.
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 funding.
The current proposal for a new eco-town
Eco-towns (UK)
Eco-towns are a government-sponsored programme of new towns to be built in England, which are intended to achieve exemplary standards of sustainability.In 2007, the...
at Weston Otmoor
Weston Otmoor
Weston Otmoor is a proposed new eco-town in the north of Oxfordshire in countryside to the east of the village of Weston-on-the-Green. It would be next to Junction 9 of the M40 motorway and north of Oxford and is one of 15 bids shortlisted by the Department of Communities and Local Government on 3...
also proposes a dedicated new railway station on the Oxford-Bicester line, citing direct commuter trains to London, with the reinstated east-west rail link giving access to Milton Keynes and Oxford. The proposals were examined in summer 2008, and a further consultation period extends to April 2009.
Chiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways is a British train operating company. It was set up at the privatisation of British Rail in 1996, and operates local passenger trains from Marylebone station in London to Aylesbury and main-line trains on the Chiltern Main Line to Birmingham Snow Hill with its associated branches...
has opened Aylesbury Vale Parkway
Aylesbury Vale Parkway railway station
Aylesbury Vale Parkway railway station is a railway station serving villages to the northwest of Aylesbury. It will also serve the Berryfields and Weedon Hill housing developments to the north of the town when these are completed. The station is served by Chiltern Railways and opened on 14 December...
(AVP) 3 miles (4.8 km) to the north west of Aylesbury town station, adjacent to the A41 and the major development at Berryfields on the old Varsity Line
Varsity Line
The Varsity Line is an informal name for the railway route that formerly linked the English university cities of Oxford and Cambridge, operated successively by the London and North Western Railway, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, and British Railways...
in December 2008. It is also proposed that this line is extended further north to reach a rebuilt Oxford-Bletchley line. Chiltern Railways also has long-term aspirations to reach Milton Keynes.
The route
The plan is divided into three sections:- Eastern section: From Norwich, Felixstowe and Ipswich to Cambridge on existing lines.
- Central section: from Cambridge to Bedford on existing lines and also requiring a new section of line.
- Western section: from Bedford to Oxford and the Great Western Main LineGreat Western Main LineThe Great Western Main Line is a main line railway in Great Britain that runs westwards from London Paddington station to the west of England and South Wales. The core Great Western Main Line runs from London Paddington to Temple Meads railway station in Bristol. A major branch of the Great...
on existing lines and also requiring a mothballed line to be brought back into service.
Eastern section
From Norwich and Felixstowe and Ipswich to Cambridge using the existing Felixstowe Branch LineFelixstowe Branch Line
The Felixstowe Branch Line is a railway line from Ipswich to Felixstowe in Suffolk. The line follows the East Suffolk Line from Ipswich to Westerfield, and then diverges to the south. Passenger services are operated by National Express East Anglia...
, Ipswich to Ely Line
Ipswich to Ely Line
The Ipswich to Ely Line is a railway line linking East Anglia to the English Midlands via Ely. There is also a branch line to . Passenger services are operated by National Express East Anglia...
, and parts of the East Suffolk Line
East Suffolk Line
The East Suffolk Line is an un-electrified secondary railway line running between Ipswich and Lowestoft in Suffolk, England. The traffic along the route consists of passenger services operated by National Express East Anglia, while nuclear flask trains for the Sizewell nuclear power stations are...
and Great Eastern Main Line
Great Eastern Main Line
The Great Eastern Main Line is a 212 Kilometre major railway line of the British railway system, which connects Liverpool Street in the City of London with destinations in east London and the East of England, including Chelmsford, Colchester, Ipswich, Norwich and several coastal resorts such as...
. 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 by National Express East Anglia.
A section of Felixstowe Branch Line was recently doubled to allow freight trains to pass each other at Derby Road in Ipswich and there are plans to double of 8 km of route from Nacton to Trimley together with other work as part of the Felixstowe and Nuneaton freight capacity scheme
Birmingham to Peterborough Line
The Birmingham to Peterborough Line is a cross-country railway line in the United Kingdom, linking Birmingham to Peterborough, via Nuneaton and Leicester....
. The 'bacon chord' in Ipswich is be protected to allow trains from Felixstowe to continue to the West Midlands without reversing at Ipswich.
Central section
There is currently no suitable route from Cambridge to Bedford since the Bedford and Cambridge Railway closed in 1967 and key sections of this line have since been re-used for other purposes, including the Ryle TelescopeRyle Telescope
The Ryle Telescope was a linear east-west radio telescope array at the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory. In 2004 three of the telescopes were moved to create a compact two-dimensional array of telescopes at the east end of the interferometer. The remaining five antennas were switched off on 19...
as part of the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory
Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory
Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory is home to a number of large aperture synthesis radio telescopes, including the One-Mile Telescope, 5-km Ryle Telescope, and the Arcminute Microkelvin Imager...
, the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway
Cambridgeshire Guided Busway
The Cambridgeshire Guided Busway , branded the busway , is a public transport scheme connecting the population centres of Cambridge, Huntingdon and St Ives in the English county of Cambridgeshire...
, National Cycle Route 51 and also housing and a proposed new rowing lake near Sandy.
Three main infrastructural options for linking to the ECML:
- a central route leading east or south-east from Bedford to the ECML at Sandy or Hitchin
- a southern route providing a relatively short link to the Midland Mainline at Stewartby (south of Bedford) and then southwards to Luton south of which a new section of track, partially in tunnel, would be built to the ECML at Stevenage, from where the link would continue to Cambridge and/or Stansted airport.
- a northern route (which was discounted) continuing northward from Bedford over the Midland Mainline and the existing line through Corby and the existing Oakham-Stamford-Peterbrough line with a new south-to-east chord between the latter two lines to avoid reversing.
The central option has been costed at £250 million and the southern option at £300 million. An operational scenario based on the southern route but serving Cambridge and not Stansted was stated to have the best financial case. The northern route, though the cheapests was not fully pursued as it was considered to be outside the aims of the EWRC.
The possible Stansted Airport link would use the East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
via the Hertford Loop Line
Hertford Loop Line
The Hertford Loop Line is a branch of the East Coast Main Line, providing a commuter route to London for Hertford and other Hertfordshire towns...
and the Hertford East Branch Line
Hertford East Branch Line
The Hertford East Branch Line is a railway line in Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. It runs between and . The line follows the route of the Lea Valley; serving many towns and villages along the way...
to the West Anglia Main Line
West Anglia Main Line
The West Anglia Main Line is one of the two main lines which run from London Liverpool Street, the other being the Great Eastern Main Line. It runs generally north from London, through the towns of Cheshunt, Broxbourne, Harlow, Bishop's Stortford and Audley End station before reaching Cambridge,...
heading north and would involve the creation of a route from Hertford East station
Hertford East railway station
Hertford East railway station is one of two stations in Hertford in Hertfordshire, England. The station is 39 km north of London Liverpool Street. It is fifteen minutes' walk from Hertford North station....
to Hertford North
Hertford North railway station
Hertford North railway station is one of two stations serving the town of Hertford in Hertfordshire, England with the other being Hertford East railway station....
in Hertford
Hertford
Hertford is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. Forming a civil parish, the 2001 census put the population of Hertford at about 24,180. Recent estimates are that it is now around 28,000...
with significant difficulties within Hertford
Hertford
Hertford is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. Forming a civil parish, the 2001 census put the population of Hertford at about 24,180. Recent estimates are that it is now around 28,000...
and a new chord near Rye House railway station
Rye House railway station
Rye House railway station is in the Rye House area of Hoddesdon in Hertfordshire, England. It is on the Hertford East branch of the West Anglia Main Line, and train services are provided by National Express East Anglia.-Services:...
.
Western section
The western section would link Oxford to Bedford and also to Milton Keynes, the West Coast Main LineWest Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
and possibly also Aylesbury. It would use the Oxford to Bicester Line
Oxford to Bicester Line
The Oxford to Bicester Line is a branch line linking Oxford and Bicester in Oxfordshire, England.-History:The line was opened in 1850 as part of the Buckinghamshire Railway, which in 1879 became part of the London and North Western Railway...
, then a renovated section of the Varsity Line
Varsity Line
The Varsity Line is an informal name for the railway route that formerly linked the English university cities of Oxford and Cambridge, operated successively by the London and North Western Railway, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, and British Railways...
from Bicester to Bletchley, and finally the Marston Vale Line
Marston Vale Line
The Marston Vale Line is the railway line from Bletchley to Bedford in England. It is one of two surviving passenger-carrying sections of the "Varsity Line" between Oxford and Cambridge....
from Bletchey to Bedford. The existing Cherwell Valley Line
Cherwell Valley Line
The Cherwell Valley Line is the railway line between Didcot and Banbury via Oxford. It links the Great Western Main Line and the south to the Chiltern Main Line and the Midlands...
would be used to link to the Great Western Main Line
Great Western Main Line
The Great Western Main Line is a main line railway in Great Britain that runs westwards from London Paddington station to the west of England and South Wales. The core Great Western Main Line runs from London Paddington to Temple Meads railway station in Bristol. A major branch of the Great...
at Didcot Parkway railway station
Didcot Parkway railway station
Didcot Parkway is a railway station serving the town of Didcot in Oxfordshire in England. The station was opened as Didcot on 12 June 1844, and renamed Didcot Parkway on 29 July 1985 to reflect its role as a park and ride railhead....
, and a new passenger service to Aylesbury might be created using a freight-only section of the Great Central Main Line
Great Central Main Line
The Great Central Main Line , also known as the London Extension of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway , is a former railway line which opened in 1899 linking Sheffield with Marylebone Station in London via Nottingham and Leicester.The GCML was the last main line railway built in...
from Aylesbury Vale station connecting to the Marston Vale Line at Calvert, near Claydon. The western Section of the East West Link is being developed by the Milton Keynes Partnership and Chiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways is a British train operating company. It was set up at the privatisation of British Rail in 1996, and operates local passenger trains from Marylebone station in London to Aylesbury and main-line trains on the Chiltern Main Line to Birmingham Snow Hill with its associated branches...
.
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 Regional Assembly
South East England Regional Assembly was the regional assembly for the South East England region of the United Kingdom . Regional Assemblies are described in the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998 as "Regional Chambers" and their function of consultation is shown in Section 8 of the Act...
, South East England Development Agency
South East England Development Agency
SEEDA, more officially the South East England Development Agency, is one of a number of regional development agencies in England. It was set up as a non-departmental public body in 1999 to promote the region and to enable a number of more difficult regeneration projects which otherwise might not...
and the consortium.
In March 2008, a £2 million engineering survey of the existing and removed tracks was launched, and those undertaking the engineering survey stated that a 100 mph link between Oxford and Bletchley could be achieved for around £190 million. If construction were to start in 2009 as they then hoped, the upgraded / re-opened line could be in service by 2012.
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 Bletchley.
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 line.
According to section 3 of the October 2008 Progress report, during 2008 a number of proposals from other parties emerged which might have a significant impact on the project:
- an aspiration to use the route as part of a strategic freight route
- an aspiration to provide longer-distance north-south passenger services avoiding Birmingham, which could use the western section as part of its route
- a proposal by Chiltern Railways (CR) 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 2009.
According to the December 2008 announcement, a final outline design and report is expected by December 2009.
Western section design and service pattern considerations
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, the "Clients"). 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 AylesburyAylesbury railway station
Aylesbury railway station is a railway station in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England and is a major stop on the London to Aylesbury Line from Marylebone station via Amersham. It is 37.75 miles from Aylesbury Station to Marylebone Station...
is only included in the Local option, though about 20% of southern part of the route has already been reinstated under the AVP project. The line from north of Wolvercote Tunnel (just north of Oxford) through Bicester to Bletchley would be enabled for 100 mph double-track running. The Oxford-Wolvercote Tunnel section, and the Aylesbury-Calvert line if also provided, would be 90 mph 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 Longville.
Both options would see the present hourly 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 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, an additional Milton Keynes 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.
May 2009 service pattern proposals
Following a joint travelling exhibition by the Consortium, Milton Keynes Partnership and Chiltern Railways in April 2009, the May EWRC 2009 publicity leaflet cites the following proposed service patterns:- Oxford-Bedford: 1tph (train per hour) stopping Oxford-Bletchley, semi-fast Bletchley-Bedford (fastest through journey 43 minutes)
- Bletchley-Bedford: 1tph stopping all stations (fastest through journey 42 minutes)
- Oxford-Milton Keynes: 1tph stopping all stations (fastest through journey 47 minutes)
- Aylesbury-Milton Keynes: 1tph stopping all stations (fastest through journey 33 minutes).