The re-establishment of a rail link between Oxford and Cambridge is a step closer after the UK government announced £760 million of investment in the delivery of the next phase of the East West Rail project.
The passenger rail link between the two university cities, called the Varsity Line, was severed in 1968 but not as part of the so-called Beeching cuts that drastically reduced services on the UK’s rail networks that decade. After that date, only services between Bletchley, home of the wartime codebreakers, and Bedford remained.
The new funding, announced by transport secretary Grant Shapps, will restore passenger services between Bicester and Bletchley, including the construction of a new station at Winslow and enhancements to existing stations along the route.
The work is expected to create 1,500 jobs and will be complete by 2025 when two trains per hour are expected to run between Oxford and Milton Keynes via Bletchley.
Simon Blanchflower, chief executive of the East West Railway Company, said: “We are committed to improving connectivity across the Oxford-Cambridge arc, and fully recognise our responsibility to ensure that it is delivered in a way that minimises disruption, supports the regional economy, maximises benefits and supports jobs across the region.
“Today’s funding marks an important milestone in the delivery of East West Rail, which will provide better connectivity along the Oxford-Cambridge arc and shorten journey times between routes outside of London, boosting economic growth and serving major new housing developments.”
The route for the part of the line between Bedford and Cambridge was agreed, although not at a detailed level, in 2020. This was considered one of the most challening aspects of the project as some of the lines used before the 1968 closure have been built over.
The transport secretary also announced £34 million to progress plans to reopen the Northumberland line between Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Ashington, which closed to passengers in 1964 as part of the Beeching cuts.
Shapps said: “Restoring railways helps put communities back on the map, and this investment forms part of our nationwide effort to build back vital connections and unlock access to jobs, education and housing.
“Returning these routes to their former glory, and progressing work to reopen even more lines and stations shows our commitment to levelling up journeys across the country as we build back better from the pandemic.”