Budget 2023: New date for East West Rail route plans

A new station is being built at Bletchley in Buckinghamshire

The route of a new rail link between Bedford and Cambridge will be confirmed in May, according to today's Budget.

Councils along the line will also share £15 million to develop economic growth plans around new stations.

The £5 billion East West Rail project aims to connect Oxford and Cambridge, via Bletchley near Milton Keynes and Bedford.

A consultation about a proposed route closed in June 2021.

The current preferred option travels from Bedford, through the Sandy and St Neots area, into Cambourne and then enters Cambridge from the south through a new station at the city's biomedical campus.

'Support further growth'

The Chancellor's Budget document said the UK is a "world-leader in the life sciences industry, with significant R&D hubs such as Cambridge's Biomedical Campus".

It added: "East West Rail - the rail line joining Oxford and Cambridge - will support further growth in life sciences and other high-productivity sectors across the region, connecting businesses and talent.

"In May, the government will confirm the route for the new Bedford-Cambridge section, and will provide capacity funding to support local authorities to develop their plans for strategic economic growth around new stations."

In November's Autumn Statement, the Chancellor recommitted to East West Rail and in December the Department for Transport approved plans for a new £184m Cambridge South Station, which could eventually sit on the line.

Signs in protest of the plans are dotted around south Cambridgeshire, such as this by the A10 near Hauxton

The Protect Poets group in Bedford has been fighting the plans, with some homeowners unsure how many properties could be demolished to make way for the new line.

Campaigners elsewhere along the route have also raised concerns about the impact on villages and countryside.

South Cambridgeshire's Conservative MP Anthony Browne has previously called for a business case for the new link to be published.

He said: "They've got to justify it – I haven't seen a positive business case for it but have heard lots of scepticism.

"You don't want to build a white elephant."

But Daniel Zeichner, Cambridge's Labour MP, said: "This is a strong statement from the government and I think it's important for Cambridge and the region.

"People have worked very hard to persuade the government just how important this is. If this hadn't gone ahead and we ended up being cut off that would not help Cambridge maintain its global position.

"We need that linkage between Oxford and Cambridge."

East West Rail says "71% of local residents support a new transport link between Oxford and Cambridge".