New Joint Delivery Board formed for East West Rail

From the East West Rail website:   12th October 2012


Senior representatives from the East West Rail Consortium, Network Rail and the Department for Transport have formed a Joint Delivery Board to oversee and facilitate the development of a new, electric railway line between Bedford and Oxford with train services due to start operating in December 2017.

They met today at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre together with Iain Stewart MP the Chairman of the East West Rail All Party Parliamentary Group and other representatives of the group, stakeholders and strategic partners.
The board has been formed as a result of the recent announcement by the Secretary of State for Transport of the Government’s support for the western section of the East West Rail scheme that also included a commitment to electrify part of the route.
The East West Railway re-opens ten miles of closed railway to create a new electric railway between Oxford and Bedford. It upgrades almost nine miles of railway to link in the diesel lines from Aylesbury to enable new diesel and electric train services.

The Board, chaired by Cllr Peter Hardy (Buckinghamshire County Council), met to agree the roles of the respective organisations who will work together with the joint goal of having the service operational by December 2017.
Guests had the opportunity to view a section of the route that is currently either mothballed or used only by freight trains, but which will become an important route for passenger services within the region and as part of the National Strategic Rail Network.

Councillor Hardy said:
Local authorities along this route formed The East West Rail Consortium in 1995, with a shared aim to introduce high quality train services to link centres of economic activity and to support economic development in the region. We are therefore delighted that this scheme is now going ahead. The economic, social and environmental benefits of this railway are considerable. It will enable more journeys by rail – that are fast, clean and efficient – and provide a real alternative to journeys on our congested roads. This in turn will make the region more attractive to existing and prospective businesses and we anticipate some additional 12,000 jobs will be created within the area as well as new housing developments. Businesses will have access to a wider and more mobile workforce, which is good news for businesses and workers alike.
“The Consortium’s attention is now focused on delivering the economic benefits presented by the opportunity this railway brings. To do this, we will work closely with the business and local communities and will keep people informed as plans progress.

Transport Minister Norman Baker said:
This is an excellent project of strategic importance. As part of the ‘Electric Spine’ from the South Coast through Reading, Oxford, Bedford and via the Midland Main Line to the East Midlands and South Yorkshire it will offer faster journey times, new route possibilities and low carbon reliable electric train services to cater for growing demand.

Graham Botham, Principal Strategic Planner at Network Rail, said:
We welcome the opportunity to provide the capability for rail services to run between Oxford, Milton Keynes and Bedford and to electrify sections of the track to provide faster, cleaner and quieter passenger and freight services. This is a fantastic example of how targeted investment in rail can support and help drive economic growth, connecting people with jobs and providing new transport links between the region’s towns and cities. Our role is to design, build and fully integrate East-West Rail into the national rail network and we are fully committed to working with the East-West Consortium to ensure that the social, economic and environmental benefits of this scheme are maximised.