(Secretary of State for
Transport): Today I am announcing the preferred route
for the Bedford to Cambridge section of the East West Rail line
between Oxford and Cambridge This follows a public
consultation last year on five route options.
The preferred route, route E from the consultation would link
Bedford Midland, a new station between Sandy and St Neots, a new
station at Cambourne and Cambridge station. The route would
provide improved connectivity between towns and cities across the
Oxford-Cambridge Arc, improving passenger journey times and
supporting the Oxford-Cambridge Arc to fulfil its economic
potential as a world-class strategic innovation Arc.
The Bedford to Cambridge section of East West Rail has been
designated a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project.
The preferred route will now be the focus for further
development. This further development work will include
environmental and engineering studies to identify potential route
alignments on which the railway could run, within the preferred
route option and will lead to the Government making a final
decision on whether to take this project forward, and to make an
application for a Developed Consent Order (DCO). In advance of
submitting the application for Development Consent Order, we will
confirm that there are no material changes that might have
affected our preferred route choice.
