Pressure Mounts for East West Railway
March 21st 2007
Pressure Mounts for East West Railway
Once dubbed the Varsity Line because it linked Cambridge and Oxford the dream of a restored cross country railway between Milton Keynes and Oxford moved a step nearer this month. A new report commissioned by the East West Rail Consortium, a collection of local authorities and businesses, believes much of the capital could be raised from property sales along the route.
Currently a freight only line connects Bicester with Bletchley via Claydon Junction. South of the junction another line connects Claydon with Aylesbury via Quainton Road. This line is operational and is used by the Buckingham Railway Centre at Quainton and refuse trains carrying spoil to the landfill site at Calvert – just south of Claydon.
The report says two trains an hour between Oxford and Milton Keynes, and between Aylesbury and Milton Keynes could be achieved. The cost of building the railway between Oxford and Milton Keynes is put at between £100 and £135 million. Developers could fund around £100 million of the cost. The railway needs upgrading and re-signalling. However it could be used by long distance passenger and freight services. The work was managed bySteer Davies Gleave
Says theConsortium’s Chairman, Neil Gibson, ‘The report shows for the first time that there is a credible and achievable scheme for the western section of East West Rail. We will continue to work with our partners in local, regional and national government, and the rail industry to further develop the scheme. The next stage of development work will define the scheme and establish a clear delivery and funding framework.’
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