East West Rail: Bedford mayor unveils eight alternative routes

East West Rail is currently under construction in a number of areas

The Mayor of Bedford has unveiled other potential routes for the East West Rail (EWR) project through the borough.

EWR has already announced its preferred route, linking Oxford and Cambridge via a new track running through Bedford to the north.

Conservative Tom Wootton has defended spending £40,000 to commission consultants to explore alternative routes to the south.

Their report concluded that all options would boost the Bedford economy.

The mayor reflected: "While there is no definitive winner among the proposed routes, the economic potential of the project for Bedford is significant."

EWR's proposed Route E between Bedford and Cambridge shows three new railway stations to be built by EWR, including the rebuilding of Bedford St Johns

In a meeting at Borough Hall, the mayor said he had commissioned the study in response to EWR announcing its preferred route last May.

The EWR route going through Bedford to the north was one of the eight routes considered by consultants.

A map included in the report shows the other potential routes running close to places including Shortstown, Elstow and through Priory Country Park.

It evaluated each route against 13 criteria, including environmental considerations and potential demolitions.

Consultants SLC Rail explained that deciding on a preferred route was "finely balanced".

They added: "However, we believe that a southern route option... could be feasible if further development work were undertaken to resolve some of the current deficiencies.

"In all options East West Rail represents a sizeable boost to the economy in Bedford worth between £257m and £268m over 60 years."

Route E is shown in blue while other considered routes are demonstrated in other colours

Mr Wootton defended spending taxpayers money on the study, when a preferred route has already been announced.

He said: "As many houses are knocked down, as many houses are blighted, they'd expect their council to be looking after their interests, and fighting their corner."

EWR chief executive Beth West said they had a "preferred route" and they would be "trying to progress on that".

She added: "Of course we will read Mayor Tom's report, we haven't done that yet, and we will take any new information we receive very seriously."