East West Rail (or the East West Main Line, EWML) is a strategic aim to establish a new main line railway between East Anglia and Oxfordshire. The immediate plan is to build (or rebuild) a line linking Oxford and Cambridge via Bicester, Milton Keynes (at Bletchley) and Bedford, largely using the trackbed of the former Varsity Line. Thus it provides a potential route between any or all of the Great Western, Cotswold, Chiltern, West Coast, Midland, East Coast, West Anglia and Great Eastern main lines, avoiding London. The government approved the western section (between Oxford and Bedford) in November 2011. The eastern section (east of Cambridge), the new BedfordCambridge route and the OxfordBedford improvements are categorised as a nationally significant infrastructure project.
The line was initially promoted (as the East West Rail Link) by the East-West Rail Consortium, a consortium of local authorities and interested bodies along the route. (That consortium is now called the East West Main Line Partnership.) In 2013 it was adopted by the Department for Transport and, in late 2017, the government announced that it would be delivered by a quango, the East West Railway Company, rather than by Network Rail.
The plan is divided into three sections: "Western section" between Oxford and Bedford on the former Varsity Line route, taking advantage of the recently reconstructed Oxford–Bicester line and the existing BletchleyBedford Marston Vale line (leaving just BicesterBletchley to be rebuilt). "Central section" from Bedford to Cambridge over a substantially new alignment; in May 2023, the Company announced its preferred route for statutory consultation. "Eastern section" from Cambridge to Norwich, Felixstowe and Ipswich on existing lines.
Summary of current status (Summer 2026)
Phase 1 of the western section, the segment from Oxford via to the junction with the Chiltern Main Line, has been operational since December 2016. In April 2020, engineering work began on the route of the BicesterBletchley segment. Trackwork was completed in early 2024; freight services began using the route in June 2025. Passenger services between Oxford and were to begin in the second half of 2025, but a dispute with the rail unions (over a proposal for driver-only operation) continues to prevent commencement of the service.
Engineering work to bring the BletchleyBedford segment up to the same standard was planned for 20252030, but a dispute over the nature and extent of the route through Bedford has yet to be resolved. In January 2025, the Government confirmed funding for the BedfordCambridge section, including specifically a new Tempsford railway station that is also to serve the East Coast Main Line.
On 4 March 2026, 500 days had passed since the line between Bicester and Bletchley was declared ready for use but a scheduled passenger service had yet to commence. Meanwhile the line is being used regularly for freight movements. In a written reply on 4 June 2026 to a parliamentary question, the rail minister stated that provision would be made in the December 2026 timetable for an OxfordMilton Keynes Central service but made no commitment as to when or whether it would actually commence.
History
Origins The link is promoted by the East West Rail Main Line Partnership, an association of local authorities originally called the "East West Rail Consortium", initiated by Ipswich Borough Council in 1995. The council and its neighbours were particularly concerned about poor services within East Anglia and the links to London. Some success was achieved east of Cambridge, at least partly through the efforts of the group.
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.
In May 2006, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced specific plans for Bletchley railway station. The document stated 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 March 2007, a study (funded by the East West Rail Consortium) stated that
In April 2008, the DfT responded to an e-petition for support on East West Rail by reiterating that they would encourage private funding.
In the 2011 Autumn Statement by Chancellor George Osborne, the East West railway between , and was adopted by the Department for Transport, and £270million was committed to the scheme to fund its development. This was confirmed in July 2012 when the Secretary of State for Transport, Justine Greening, announced that the Western section of East West Rail (EWR) would be part of the government's strategy for rail transport.
Western section
The western section links Oxford and Bedford via Bletchley, with connections to the West Coast Main Line and the Midland Main Line. This section is to reuse the trackbed of the Varsity Line (closed 1967), re-engineered for running. The first phase, OxfordBicester was reopened (as the Oxford–Bicester line) in 2016; engineering of the BicesterBletchley phase was completed in late 2024 and is due to reopen in the second half of 2025; work to rebuild the BletchleyBedford phase ("the Marston Vale line") is planned for the 20252030 period. From Oxford, the existing Cherwell Valley line provides a link to the Great Western Main Line (at ). Passenger services to (via the WCML) and (via the existing freight line from Claydon Junction) were also planned.
The first part of this work, doubling the Oxford–Bicester line and connecting it to the Chiltern Main Line, was largely completed in 2015 (and fully operational from December 2016); the remaining work from Bicester to Bedford was greatly delayed, but was scheduled for completion by 2030.
On 3 February 2020, the DfT made the Transport and Works Act Order for the BicesterBletchley and AylesburyClaydon sections. The Planning Inspectorate's report had indicated that the scheme was fully funded, as confirmed by a DfT letter dated 9 February 2018, with a budget for this phase of £1,084,726,000, consisting of £150.095million in Control Period 5 (2014–2019) (sic) and £934.631million in Control Period 6 (2019–2024) but that, if the Order was not made in 2019, delays of 6 to 12 months could be expected with an impact on its integration with HS2 and a resulting significant increase in costs which had not been allowed for in that funding.
Planning 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 £2million engineering survey of the existing and removed tracks was launched, and those undertaking the engineering survey stated that a link between Oxford and Bletchley could be achieved for around £190million. If construction had started in 2009 as they then hoped, the upgraded / re-opened line could have been 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 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 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 to run Oxford-Bicester-London passenger services via a [then] mooted new south-to-east chord to the existing Chiltern line. (This chord has been built and is now in use).
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 £2million of contribution, half directly by the Department for 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.
In January 2021, East West Railway Company revised the phasing of the project, with delivery to be in three ‘connection stages’: Oxford – Milton Keynes; Oxford – Bedford; Oxford – Cambridge, and plans for the Aylesbury branch to be reviewed. In May 2023, the EWR Company announced that the Aylesbury branch was not being funded.
Design 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). 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 Aylesbury is only included in the Local option, though about 20% of southern part of the route has already been reinstated under the Aylesbury Vale Parkway project. The line from north of Wolvercote Tunnel (just north of Oxford) through Bicester to Bletchley would be enabled for double-track running. The Oxford–Wolvercote Tunnel section, and the Aylesbury–Calvert line if also provided, would be 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.
The Planning Inspectorate's report to the Minister for Transport, in support of the (presumed) final Transport and Works Act Order (January 2020), firmed up on these principles. The platforms at Aylesbury Vale Parkway, Bletchley High Level and Winslow were to be specified as suitable for trains no longer than four cars. The section between Oxford and Bletchley is specified as double-track, max.; AylesburyClaydon LNE Junction was to be single-track (with space but no underpinnings for a second track), up to but BletchleyBedford was to remain at maximum. The line was not initially to be electrified but constructed so as to facilitate electrification at a later date. The proposed Newton Longville station does not appear. There are no funded plans for north-to-east chords at Bicester (to enable a direct Bletchley service) or at Bletchley (to enable a direct Milton Keynes CentralBedford service).
In April 2026, EWRCo released its final consultation document before the Development Consent Order expected in 2027. Among its many changes, it specifies that the trains should be up to five carriages long, to accommodate the anticipated volume of customers for the Universal UK theme park beside a new Stewartby railway station.
Service pattern