East West Rail: Part of £5bn scheme now 'feasible'

Building work is already under way in a number of areas

Part of a £5bn rail project linking Cambridge and Oxford is now regarded as "feasible" - but still has "significant issues", a report states.

The Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) analysed two stages of East West Rail, having last year deemed them "unachievable".

It said issues, while ongoing, were now resolvable if "addressed promptly".

East West Rail said the IPA's revised opinion reflected "the hard work we have put in over the past year".

The East West Rail scheme will create a link from Oxford to Cambridge, with services being introduced in stages.

Stage two, between Oxford and Bedford, and stage three, between Bedford and Cambridge, had "major issues", the IPA had previously said.

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It rated the sections as "red" in its 2021-22 annual report on major projects, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

However, in its latest report to the Cabinet Office and Treasury, it rated them as "amber", meaning "successful delivery appears feasible but significant issues already exist, requiring management attention".

The report said the issues "appear resolvable at this stage, if addressed promptly" and that it should not cause a cost or schedule overrun.

In May, the preferred route of the section between Bedford and Cambridge was announced.

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

In response to the IPA report, East West Rail said it "continued to refine plans" for the railway and expected to share more detailed proposals at a public consultation in the first half of 2024.

Services between Oxford and Milton Keynes were expected to be are introduced in 2025, it added.