New East West Rail Report Outlines Need for Extension to Cambridge and Beyond

With work to link Oxford and Bedford as part of East-West Rail now underway, Lib Dem Mayor Dave Hodgson has welcomed a new report which identifies the huge economic benefit of extending the scheme to Cambridge. The report published this week by the East West Rail Consortium, of which Bedford Borough Council is a member along with other local authorities along the route, states that the it will deliver an economic benefit of up to around £750 million, and could see a direct train link enabling journey times between Cambridge and Bedford of just 24 minutes.

Work on the western section of the East West Rail line linking Oxford and Bedford is going ahead following successful lobbying by Bedford Borough Council and others, and the new line is due to open by 2019. The East West Rail Consortium is now pushing hard for a commitment to the central section on to Cambridge.

For further information, comment from Mayor Dave Hodgson, and links to the report- please click here.