Rail minister Lord Hendy has named Chiltern Railways as the operator for the first stage of East West Rail.
The line is set to open later this year, providing trains between Oxford, Bletchley and Milton Keynes Central and serving six stations, including a new one at Winslow.
The Department for Transport said the line would support almost 100 jobs at Chiltern Railways, which is run by Arriva.
Peter, Lord Hendy said: ‘Appointing Chiltern Railways to run the first East West Rail services is one of the crucial last steps in getting the line up and running later this year and means local people in the area are closer to experiencing the benefits of this transformative project.
‘This milestone demonstrates that we are serious about unlocking the potential of the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor, providing greater connectivity across the region and delivering on our Plan for Change mission to drive economic growth.’
Arriva Group has welcomed the announcement.
Arriva UK Trains interim managing director Amanda Furlong said: ‘We are incredibly proud that Chiltern has been chosen to operate the first phase of the new East West Rail line, a transformative infrastructure project that will drive long-term benefits for communities, businesses and the wider economy
‘Arriva has a track record of delivering high-quality, reliable passenger transport and our plans to start services later this year are already underway. We look forward to growing passenger numbers on Chiltern’s expanded network and playing our part in the decarbonisation agenda by encouraging more people to use public transport.’
Chiltern Railways is due to be nationalised by December 2027, when its National Rail Contract expires.
Readers’ comments
Chiltern Railways are a good choice, with their being Adrian Shooter's successors. The western part of EWR is already a simple restitution of former line. Their proposed route East of Bedford, though seems problematical, having been designated as primarily to cater to local commuter customers, whereas the greater potential seems to rest with giving a possible route between South Wales / Bristol / Devon /Cornwall and East Anglia / the "Haven Ports". A direct link from the Marston Vale line at Lidlington to the line from Hitchin to Cambridge at around Ashwell and Morden would allow this, together with a second link to give a North to East facility at Lidlington , allowing Bedford access to eastwest rail. At Bedford Midland station, a second south facing bay platform next to the present 1A would help provide access for trains from Cambridge or Oxford / Bletchley. Finally, to point out that this scheme would avoid rebuilding Bedford Midland station and would not need any demolition of properties, Cambourne would be better served by the guided bus system.
David C. Smith, Bletchley
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