East-West Rail (EWR): Consultation updates [not speculation]

[tspaul26]

Looks like the Tempsford station will be roughly where the previous one was ?

Yes

With regards to Camborne is the station the other side of the A428 a busy dual carriageway? Looks like it unless a mistake?

Not a mistake. North of the A428 dual carriageway

 

[snowball]

Is there any map anywhere showing both proposed routes together, E-W rail and A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet? (Incidentally a legal challenge to the latter has recently been defeated.)

 

[Redbus74]

Yes

Not a mistake. North of the A428 dual carriageway

I wonder how it will it be reached from Cambourne, across the dual carriageway and how far it will be from the town. Lots of new housing planned on the old Bourn Airfield too which is next door, also the wrong side of the A428.

 

[zwk500]

I wonder how it will it be reached from Cambourne, across the dual carriageway and how far it will be from the town. Lots of new housing planned on the old Bourn Airfield too which is next door, also the wrong side of the A428.

I suspect that the station would spur a large amount of construction north of the road. The town is already 1.8km x 2.3km, so there's no 'good' place to put the station really. However putting it north of the road means you have a corridor to follow and that you can put a bridge over the A428 and a cycle way adjacent to the local road parallel to the Dual Carriageway to increase catchment

 

[Mag_seven]

A reminder that this thread is for the discussion of EWR Consultation Updates and not speculation. There are a number of EWR Speculative threads that can be found here:

thanks

 

[Snow1964]

Published by DfT 5th June

This announcement has been made and confirms the proposals which will be taken forward for further development. These include:

• confirming a preferred route alignment between Bedford and Cambridge, including new stations which would serve Tempsford and Cambourne, and a southern approach to Cambridge
• revised service frequencies along the line of route to best meet demand
• six-tracking of the Midland Mainline at Bedford to boost capacity and improve resilience
• relocation of Bedford St. John’s station to better serve Bedford Hospital
• potential level crossing changes and closures which account for increased EWR traffic but preserve public access
• the launch of a ‘need to sell’ property support scheme to help affected homeowners

The East West Rail Company will consult further on its proposals as part of a statutory consultation ahead of an application for a development consent order. This consultation is due to take place in 2024.

East West Rail: Oxford and Cambridge route update

East West Rail route development to improve connectivity and boost productivity in the Oxford to Cambridge region.

www.gov.uk

 

[richieb1971]

It says the opening of the western section is 2025. Do we know if St Johns (Bedford) alignment, Jowitt sidings being repurposed and bridges east of Bedford will be done before 2025 or is that being done as part of the Eastern/Central section? All these announcements and still details are not forthcoming. I guess the Bicester area remains a priority for now but we must be within a year of those works being complete.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It says the opening of the western section is 2025. Do we know if St Johns (Bedford) alignment, Jowitt sidings being repurposed and bridges east of Bedford will be done before 2025 or is that being done as part of the Eastern/Central section? All these announcements and still details are not forthcoming. I guess the Bicester area remains a priority for now but we must be within a year of those works being complete.

Those aren't part of the initial opening, which may run 1tph on the Marston Vale line (this seems to be for some debate) but does not make any changes to its infrastructure.

 

[tspaul26]

It says the opening of the western section is 2025. Do we know if St Johns (Bedford) alignment, Jowitt sidings being repurposed and bridges east of Bedford will be done before 2025 or is that being done as part of the Eastern/Central section?

Those works are required to enable additional services over the Central Section i.e. the services forming in art of ‘Connection Stage 3’.

All these announcements and still details are not forthcoming. I guess the Bicester area remains a priority for now but we must be within a year of those works being complete.

As you have been told before now, detailed designs will not be developed for a few years and will not be completed until after a development consent order is granted to authorise the construction and operation of the project.

 

[richieb1971]

Those works are required to enable additional services over the Central Section i.e. the services forming in art of ‘Connection Stage 3’.

As you have been told before now, detailed designs will not be developed for a few years and will not be completed until after a development consent order is granted to authorise the construction and operation of the project.

Well Oxford to Bedford is opening 2025. By your own words it will open before lots of other works on an active line will be completed since I mentioned only works done west of Bedford Station, not east.

 

[Tobbes]

As you have been told before now, detailed designs will not be developed for a few years and will not be completed until after a development consent order is granted to authorise the construction and operation of the project.

Fascinating - though it begs the question 'how can a DCO be granted if it isn't clear what it's actually authorising?' - or is there a further stage of permissions after the DCO?

 

[Verulamius]

The refence to 2025 opening is for the Western section, ie Bicester to Bletchley. All the works around Bedford will be part of the DCO process I would expect.

 

[richieb1971]

The refence to 2025 opening is for the Western section, ie Bicester to Bletchley. All the works around Bedford will be part of the DCO process I would expect.

Bedford is day 1 surely?

 

[Snow1964]

Fascinating - though it begs the question 'how can a DCO be granted if it isn't clear what it's actually authorising?' - or is there a further stage of permissions after the DCO?

Todays announcement says

The East West Rail Company will consult further on its proposals as part of a statutory consultation ahead of an application for a development consent order. This consultation is due to take place in 2024.

Although term consultation is used, tends to be in form of offering one version of what is intended, and unless there are serious objections that is version going ahead.

 

[swt_passenger]

Bedford is day 1 surely?

Yes, but as you must already know from a number of earlier discussions there are no infrastructure changes being made between Bletchley and Bedford in the current project, even though the TWA Order did authorise a few relatively minor changes.

 

[tspaul26]

Fascinating - though it begs the question 'how can a DCO be granted if it isn't clear what it's actually authorising?' - or is there a further stage of permissions after the DCO?

There is a legal concept called the ‘Rochdale envelope’ which allows the detailed design to be filled in later on through requirements set out in the DCO.

Well Oxford to Bedford is opening 2025. By your own words it will open before lots of other works on an active line will be completed since I mentioned only works done west of Bedford Station, not east.

Ahem:

Do we know if St Johns (Bedford) alignment, Jowitt sidings being repurposed and bridges east of Bedford will be done before 2025 or is that being done as part of the Eastern/Central section?

Either way, the more extensive works required to deliver the uplifted ‘Connection Stage 3’ east of Bedford (such as realignment of the line through Bedford St John’s) are not needed in order for the first EWR services between Oxford and Bedford to start running in 2025.

 

[LLivery]

The Aylesbury section has been raised at PMQs by local MP Rob Butler (just after Dowden vs Rayner). He says whenever he raised the project, he was asked to work with stakeholders to make the proposal cheaper. He says they've found a way to do that and therefore would like the government to commit.

 

[a_c_skinner]

The Aylesbury section has been raised at PMQs by local MP Rob Butler (just after Dowden vs Rayner). He says whenever he raised the project, he was asked to work with stakeholders to make the proposal cheaper. He says they've found a way to do that and therefore would like the government to commit.

He is about to discover "go away and work with..." is government speak for "go away."

 

[LLivery]

He is about to discover "go away and work with..." is government speak for "go away."

That, I would not be shocked at. Although seeing the Chilterns are a real anti-Tory issue for the next election, you never know!

 

[Redbus74]

So when the line is complete between Bicester and Bletchley will trains only run between those two places initially and not to Bedford or M.K. Sorry if im not up on all the information. Thanks.

Does anyone have a link to the dates and places where the consultations are taking place i did see an article come on my phone, up but i didn't save it.

 

[The Planner]

So when the line is complete between Bicester and Bletchley will trains only run between those two places initially and not to Bedford or M.K. Sorry if im not up on all the information. Thanks.

Does anyone have a link to the dates and places where the consultations are taking place i did see an article come on my phone, up but i didn't save it.

They will run between Oxford and MK.

 

[tspaul26]

Does anyone have a link to the dates and places where the consultations are taking place i did see an article come on my phone, up but i didn't save it.

The last consultation was in 2021.

The next consultation is currently envisaged to take place in 2024.

Neither happens in a specific ‘place’ as such - that is not how a public consultation process generally works in the UK.

 

[snowball]

Neither happens in a specific ‘place’ as such - that is not how a public consultation process generally works in the UK.

It may have changed since the pandemic, but previously there was usually a series of physical exhibitions where you could visit, view displays and documents, talk to representatives of the project sponsor, and submit feedback. Maybe it's all online now. One of the most irritating aspects of some online information displays is that it's made to look unnecessarily like a physical room.

 

[Magdalia]

Does anyone have a link to the dates and places where the consultations are taking place i did see an article come on my phone, up but i didn't save it.

previously there was usually a series of physical exhibitions where you could visit

The details are on the East West Rail website here.

East West Rail | Route Update Announcement

This page hosts key information and documents for the Government's route update announcement on East West Rail.

eastwestrail.co.uk

Public events​

We're holding a series of public drop-in events across the route to give people the opportunity to meet our team and find out more about our updated proposals. If you'd like to come along, then please see details of our planned events below.

Event details​

• 13 June 2023, 2pm – 8pm | Bedford
  
  
• 20 June 2023, 2pm – 8pm | Ravensden
  
  
• 22 June 2023, 2pm – 8pm | Great Eversden
  
  
• 26 June 2023, 2pm – 8pm | Harston
  
  
• 30 June 2023, 2pm – 8pm | Woburn Sands
  
  
• 04 July 2023, 2pm – 8pm | Lidlington
  
  
• 07 July 2023, 2pm – 8pm | Tempsford
  
  
• 11 July 2023, 2pm – 8pm | Cambourne
  
  
• 12 July 2023, 2pm – 8pm | Bicester
  
  
• 20 July 2023, 2pm – 8pm | St Neots

 

[tspaul26]

It may have changed since the pandemic, but previously there was usually a series of physical exhibitions where you could visit, view displays and documents, talk to representatives of the project sponsor, and submit feedback. Maybe it's all online now. One of the most irritating aspects of some online information displays is that it's made to look unnecessarily like a physical room.

The details are on the East West Rail website here.

East West Rail | Route Update Announcement

This page hosts key information and documents for the Government's route update announcement on East West Rail.

eastwestrail.co.uk

These are not in themselves ‘consultations’.

They are public information events: no more than that.

 

[03_179]

I know that it's probably somewhere scattered in the thread but could someone in the know post a timeline of starting of works to when each section is open to the actual services are starting please.

I've lost track (pardon the pun) of what's going on with the line.

Thank you

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Am I right in thinking that currently, as it stands, Aylesbury has been relegated to little more than a potential future expansion? Didn't it get cancelled in the end?

 

[swt_passenger]

Am I right in thinking that currently, as it stands, Aylesbury has been relegated to little more than a potential future expansion? Didn't it get cancelled in the end?

I don’t believe it has ever been formally “cancelled”. They don’t (as far as we know) intend to run a passenger service initially.

There’s been loads of discussion about it in the other ‘construction’ thread, including video evidence that the formation for the necessary chord is being built, however there’s also posts explaining that the route isn’t being signalled.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I don’t believe it has ever been formally “cancelled”. They don’t (as far as we know) intend to run a passenger service initially.

There’s been loads of discussion about it in the other ‘construction’ thread, including video evidence that the formation for the necessary chord is being built, however there’s also posts explaining that the route isn’t being signalled.

Thank you for the clarification.

 

[Redbus74]

The details are on the East West Rail website here.

East West Rail | Route Update Announcement

This page hosts key information and documents for the Government's route update announcement on East West Rail.

eastwestrail.co.uk

Thanks i thought i had seen the dates for an exhibition Somewhere