EAST WEST RAIL UPDATE

East West Railway Company Strategy Director Will Gallagher tells QUAD that he has 'never been more confident' that the line between Oxford and Cambridge will be completed by the mid-2030s.

What used to be called the Varsity Line until its closure in 1967, is being re-opened section by section. December 2025 will see the next segment open to passengers, from Bicester to Milton Keynes. It is already built – test trains such as the one shown above have been running on it since October 2024, and Chiltern Rail will operate the new service, having been named by government in March.

Bletchley to Bedford will open by 2030, and Bedford to Cambridge by an estimated 2035.

Gallagher’s optimism follows a visit to Oxfordshire on 29 January by Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves (New College, 1997).

Reeves announced a growth plan including broad support for the region encompassing Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge, styled a 'growth corridor'.

Sir Patrick Vallance has been appointed as the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor Champion, a role in which he will provide senior leadership to ensure the government's ambitions for the region are realised.

It is the first time that a government minister has been appointed to such a role, underlining the seriousness of the government's intent.

Dipesh Shah CBE, the Independent Chair of the Oxford to Cambridge Partnership, emphasises the importance of the Oxford to Cambridge region to the whole nation, citing Boston, Amsterdam, Paris, Singapore and Silicon Valley, all profound examples of what are termed 'agglomeration benefits'.

'Oxford and Cambridge are undoubted global leaders and the area in between – Milton Keynes and surrounding cities – is the fastest growing. The full potential of the region is best captured by the agglomeration benefits of the clusters which require improved connectivity across the growth corridor. Then, we will have the pre-eminent region of growth founded on its science and technology innovations, not only in comparison with Europe but on a truly global scale. The region has the potential to add an extra £50 billion GVA (gross value added) in this Parliament alone and much, much more beyond that.'

Director of Investment for Network Rail, Frances McGarry, says: 'There is a congested timetable for Network Rail during 2027-32,' referring partly to the expected completion of High Speed Two (HS2) during that period.

Network Rail is responsible for the UK’s railway infrastructure and are currently completing engineering checks on the new section of track that will open in December.

Professor Patrick Grant, Oxford’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor Research, says: 'The University aims to limit transport emissions and to reduce the demand to travel by car; it is also important that our staff and students can commute efficiently and travel sustainability to our many university, public and private collaborators, including our own start-up companies. The completion of East West Rail and hopefully the opening of the Cowley branch line to passengers will play a very significant role in meeting our sustainable travel goals. They will also enable growth of our research and innovation activities and help spread the associated opportunities and prosperity along the Oxford Cambridge growth corridor.'

Mairi Gibbs, CEO of Oxford University Innovation, says: 'Oxford and Cambridge are geographically around the same distance apart as Newport Beach to Thousand Oaks within the city of LA, or a trip around the San Francisco Bay, yet as anyone who has tried to get between our two great university cities will know, the transport requires either many roundabouts or a London change of trains. Effective innovation and entrepreneurship are built on collaboration and good relationships, development of economic clusters relies on good connectivity, and lower carbon transport is environmentally necessary. A step change improvement in public transport is thoroughly welcome.'

The other big project ongoing is the transformation of Oxford Railway Station, at a cost of £161 million. This includes the addition of a fifth platform allowing additional capacity and eventually new direct train services between Oxford and Cambridge.

Will Gallagher says that a recent consultation will be followed in 2026 by a statutory consultation, with a development consent order hopefully being granted government permission by 2028. 'I believe that spades will be in the ground during this Parliament, for the final section of rail between Bedford and Cambridge.'

The original railway line between Oxford and Bicester was first opened in 1850 by the Buckinghamshire Railway, while the modern upgrade in 2015 allowed for direct services to London Marylebone via Chiltern Railways.

In another recent story, a local consortium of businesses launched a campaign to boost the likelihood of the spur line extension from Oxford to Cowley, and hence to Oxford Science Park in Littlemore, on the southern edge of the city.