14.12.17
Government officially launches East West Railway Company
Transport secretary Chris Grayling has officially launched the East West Railway (EWR) Company today, intended to restore the link between Oxford and Cambridge.
The Varsity line, which previously connected the two cities, was shut down nearly 50 years ago during the Beeching cuts, although it was not initially marked for closure.
The announcement of the official EWR company is a major step forward in plans for the new line, which will also create a direct link between East Anglia and central and southern England in the hopes of unlocking new areas for housing and economic growth.
EWR will have interchange stations with four main railway lines out of London, but it will run under or over each one in order to minimise the risk of delay and allow future upgrade work to be incorporated into the network with as little disruption as possible.
Rob Brighouse, interim chair of the new company and non-executive director at Network Rail, explained that the company had been set up to help deliver the project as quickly and cost effectively as possible.
The line was pushed by the East West Rail Consortium, a group of local authorities and strategic partners who helped to encourage the DfT to adopt the project and begin developing plans.
Speaking at the transport secretary’s visit to a number of sites yesterday, consortium representative councillor Ian Bates applauded the official launch of the company.
He commented: “We welcome the formal launch of the East West Railway Company and its real emphasis on accelerating delivery of the Oxford to Cambridge link in support of economic growth.
“The consortium has played a pivotal role getting us to this point, and we have pledged to continue working in partnership to ensure there are trains on tracks at the earliest opportunity.”
Growing the network
Grayling visited both Bletchley station and Bletchley Viaduct, which are due to be reopened as part of the EWR project.
“East West Rail is the perfect example of how we can revitalise the railways, grow the network and unlock jobs and housing growth,” the transport secretary stated.
“Bletchley Park – the home of World War II codebreakers – is the perfect location to mark the historic occasion, because the line will be key to the development of this corridor as a world-class centre for innovation, technology and high-skilled jobs.”
The government has said the East West link is a key strategic project in the UK, suggesting that linking the country’s two most prestigious universities could create a British ‘Silicon Valley’, when it is completed in the mid-2020s.
In RTM’s August/September edition this year, the EWR Alliance’s head of engineering, Andy Free, discussed the latest developments in the project, including the controversially scrapped electrification plans for the project.
The DfT removed the plans following public consultation on phase 2 of EWR, and Free said he thought it was unlikely electrification would be reintroduced.
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