Latest News

The East Main Line Partnership has submitted its submission to the Spending Review 2021. Our letter to Minister of State for Transport, Chris Heaton-Harris, supports the submissions of England’s Economic Heartland and Transport East. It emphasises the critical importance of the Aylesbury-Milton Keynes link and of delivering Bletchley-Bedford as soon as possible, ahead of Bedford-Cambridge opening. It […]

The East West Rail Consortium, which has campaigned for the reinstatement of a railway between Oxford and East Anglia for more than 25 years, has relaunched as the East West Main Line Partnership. Established by local authorities in 1995, the Consortium has played a fundamental role in establishing the basis for the scheme, on which […]

The East West Rail Consortium has responded to the East West Railway Company’s non-statutory consultation entitled ‘Making Meaningful Connections. We welcome the Government’s continued commitment to restore the rail link between Oxford and Cambridge. Delivering and realising the full potential of East West Rail is the key transformational project for the region and beyond. The […]

The East West Rail Consortium has welcomed the launch today of the East West Railway Company’s second non-statutory consultation. Martin Tugwell, speaking on behalf of the East West Rail Consortium, said: “The consultation is another important milestone towards delivering East West Rail, a project which continues to enjoy strong strategic support from the local authorities […]

Government has confirmed £760m for East West Rail between Oxford and Bletchley/Milton Keynes – with services due by 2025. 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 […]

A rail scheme to improve passenger rail service frequency between Ipswich/Norwich and Cambridge, and to provide a new direct rail service to Oxford, has moved a step closer with the commissioning of work to develop a business case for the Eastern Section of the East West Rail Main Line. Consultants Steer have been appointed by […]

Local authorities in Suffolk and Norfolk are exploring how a new rail link to Oxford can benefit both counties.   The Secretary of State for Transport, Grant Shapps MP, announced at the end of January a preferred route for a new rail line between Cambridge and Bedford, which will form the missing rail link between Cambridge […]

Press release from Network Rail The first direct rail link in more than 50 years between Oxford, Bedford, Milton Keynes and Aylesbury has been given the green light for further work. Today (Tuesday 4 February) the Secretary of State for Transport approved Network Rail’s Transport and Works Act Order application, granting permission for work to […]

The chairman of the East West Rail Consortium has hailed today’s announcement on the preferred route between Bedford and Cambridge as a ‘landmark moment’ in the scheme’s history. Cllr Mark Shaw said that the work of the Consortium – a grouping of local authorities and local enterprise partnerships which was founded in 1995 and produced […]

From our colleagues at Suffolk County Council: Calls for investment in rail infrastructure are being made by politicians and businesses in Newmarket. Last Friday, 6 September, representatives from Suffolk County Council, West Suffolk District Council and the Newmarket Racecourses met with stakeholders from the horse racing industry and Members of Parliament to call for more […]