Autumn Statement recommits to East-West Rail project

The East-West Rail project is designed to link Oxford with Cambridge

The government has recommitted to the £5bn rail project linking Oxford and Cambridge.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt backed the East-West Rail link in his Autumn Statement after cuts to the scheme had been suggested in recent weeks.

Mr Hunt also recommitted to HS2 and core Northern Powerhouse Rail.

"These will provide fast, more reliable services and connect people to new job opportunities," the statement said.

The projects were described as "the government's transformative growth plans for our railways".

A new station is being built at Bletchley in Buckinghamshire

Services on the route will be introduced in stages, the first being between Oxford and Milton Keynes which includes a new station being built in Bletchley.

Stage two involves predominantly upgrading existing infrastructure, between Bletchley and Bedford, to allow services between Oxford and Bedford.

Stage three involves building a new line, between Bedford and Cambridge, to extend the railway and facilitate services from Oxford to Cambridge.

In July, the Infrastructure and Projects Authority said in a report that stages two and three had "major issues" over "project definition, schedule, budget, quality and/or benefits delivery, which at this stage do not appear to be manageable or resolvable".

The new line (dark blue) would connect with existing track (light blue), with new stations at Winslow, St Neots South, Cambourne and Cambridge South

Campaigners in various locations along the proposed route have voiced concerns about the impact the line would have.

The campaign group, Cambridge Approaches, said: "Thousands of south Cambridgeshire residents living along the proposed 100mph (161km/h) mainline route are affected by the proposals, which will have a massive and negative impact, with no benefits."

Residents in Bedfordshire said the line would cut through homes and businesses in the Bedford Poets' area.

The East-West Rail Company previously said the rail link would provide a £1.1bn boost to the economy.

Hannah Staunton, spokeswoman for the railway company, previously said communities along the route would benefit from "reliable, sustainable and affordable public transport", as well as "improved links to jobs, families and friends - reducing traffic congestion and pollution at the same time".

Rail Partners' chief executive, Andy Bagnall, said: "In this difficult fiscal climate, Rail Partners welcomes the government's vote of confidence in the railway with a recommitment to capital funding for key rail infrastructure projects such as HS2, Northern Powerhouse Rail, and East-West Rail - boosting our economy and helping decarbonise the transport sector."