East West Rail: Route for £5bn Bedford to Cambridge link announced

The East-West Rail line aims to provide a direct link between Oxford and Cambridge

The preferred route of part of £5bn railway line connecting Oxford and Cambridge has been announced.

The East West Rail (EWR) project confirmed details of the section between Bedford and Cambridge.

It will include new stations at Tempsford and Cambourne, and enter Cambridge via the south of the city.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said the two university cities could "thrive for generations", but some in Bedford criticised the plan to demolish homes.

EWR said Bedford St Johns railway station, where trains from Oxford and Milton Keynes would first stop in the town, would be unable to accommodate the proposed train services.

The company has proposed relocating the station "closer to Bedford Hospital".

It also said it had reduced the number of homes it would need to buy and demolish near Bedford's main railway station from 97 to 37, with a further 28 properties where gardens are at risk. This was to enable it to upgrade the existing line.

It added it would "continue to look for ways to further limit the impact of EWR in this area" and had launched a scheme to help homeowners.

The proposed section between Bedford and Cambridge shows three new railway stations to be built by EWR, or rebuilt in the case of Bedford St Johns

EWR said the new route would connect to the London-Edinburgh main line with a new station being built at Tempsford, between St Neots and Sandy.

It said it "would have greater advantages compared to [building] a station at St Neots South", which had been proposed as an alternative.

It said the Tempsford station would "enable a new community to grow, including opportunities to improve biodiversity and give more people access to green spaces".

The government said the line would "improve connections between UK science powerhouses Oxford and Cambridge".

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 on an existing railway line.

Mr Harper said: "The cities of Oxford and Cambridge are renowned across the globe for their academic excellence - East-West Rail will be vital in allowing them to thrive for generations to come and help to grow the economy."

'Better transport means better talent'

Boss of a biotech firm, Ruchi Sharma, says the East-West Rail will improve the transport links in Cambourne

Ruchi Sharma, chief executive of the biotech company Stemnovate at Babraham near Cambridge, has recently expanded the business to a new site in Cambourne.

She says because it is near Cambridge "there are buses, but the buses take longer than expected for employees to get to work and be home".

She said the relatively new settlement of Cambourne, where building began in the late 1990s, had a "good community" with schools and other facilities and "if there is better transport there are better opportunities for people".

She added that most people drive to the village, but the proposed new station would make it "easier" for employees and customers.

"There may be more talented people, but because they're not driving... it creates a big problem for people.

"If there's better transport, we have a better employee pool, and can actually look for better talent as well."

'All very disappointing'

Bedford resident Gill Scott says people have been worrying about whether their houses would be knocked down by the line

Gill Scott's house in Bedford is one of those which could be knocked down for the new line.

She has lived in her house for 23 years, with her brother living next door, and says "the community here is vital".

"This will just disintegrate it and it's going to be very difficult; we're a diverse community here and we help each other, we get on, people look out for each other, and I think things like that will go," she said.

"I think that would be very sad."

The 77-year-old says if the route goes ahead as proposed "I shall be in my 80s when I have to move, and that's not absolutely ideal".

The retired teacher said: "You cannot help but hope that things will change, but it looks very much like we will have to consider that, and what goes next.

"I think it's all very disappointing. I don't want to move away from here."

'The worst news'

Tom Wootton, Mayor of Bedford, says he will fight against East-West Rail

The new directly-elected Mayor of Bedford Tom Wootton said the announcement was "a real disaster for Bedford, it's a dark day in our history".

The Conservative mayor, who leads Bedford Borough Council, said that along with the demolition of homes the building works would cause "traffic chaos".

"Rural areas and villages are going to be affected, one by one, each in different ways [and] there's massive cuttings they've got to dig. It is just the worst news that could have happened to Bedford," he said.

He added that the line was "so expensive" and "so much can go wrong".

"They haven't worked out the cost of the route; the business case is uncompleted; there's a lot of bluster from [East West Rail] and we've got a whole year to prove it," he added.

'People crying out for this railway'

Chief executive of East-West Rail Beth West says the backing of the government is very important to the project

Beth West, chief executive of East-West Rail, said the announcement was "a really important milestone".

"It's a massive step forward because what it allows us to do is get on and engage with our communities in earnest and make sure that we are developing the scheme and moving ahead," she said.

"When you look at a railway map of the UK, all rail lines go to London and there are people who are crying out for this; they were crying out for this railway for 30 years."

She said the loss of homes was "really hard".

"I take it seriously and personally because I know it's difficult when that disrupts people's lives, but we want to make that process as pain-free for people as we possibly can," she said.