How East West Rail would benefit Bletchley & Milton Keynes
EWR is a once in a generation opportunity to help Bletchley/Milton Keynes to grow in an inclusive way, connecting with the wider region including Oxford, Bicester, Bedford and Cambridge. A fast, affordable and greener way to get around the area would provide opportunities for all, reducing congestion on local roads and making the area an even better place to live and work.
The new railway would enhance links between important knowledge hubs as well as enabling the opportunity to underpin growth and catalyse urban renewal and development.
The area’s connectivity would be further improved by EWR’s new line from Oxford to Cambridge, linking eight other towns. The new link would also take cars off local roads and reduce congestion with a more environmentally friendly travel option.
EWR would open up options for new homes and places to live that are accessible to Bletchley and Milton Keynes by improving local connections with faster, easier journeys across the region.
A new railway would take cars off local roads by providing regular train services across the region that reduce emissions and improve air quality with journeys that are better for the environment. Compared to a car journey, travelling by train can reduce emissions by up to two thirds. We're committed to protecting the area’s much-loved landscapes and wildlife, with greener for the environment one of our key priorities.
EWR would connect to most of the north-south main lines making it easier to get to the rest of the UK from Bletchley and Milton Keynes, bringing friends and family closer. The new line would make it easier to enjoy the nation’s most-loved destinations across the UK, from exploring East Anglia to days out just a short ride away in Oxford.
Easy interchange with other train lines will also provide better connections to UK airports such as Luton, Stansted and Birmingham, making overseas destinations more accessible.
As one of the UK’s fastest growing cities, Milton Keynes is a hub for new business and innovation and EWR will enable local businesses to continue their rapid growth.
EWR’s fast, direct commuter services to Oxford, Cambridge and Bedford would also enhance the Milton Keynes and Bletchley job market and encourage more businesses into the area. It would stimulate new employment opportunities and provide local people with access to a range of new jobs at all levels.
What work is required in this area?
Investing in Bletchley High Level station and supporting local regeneration
East West Rail would transform connectivity across the region and offers a generational opportunity to underpin growth and catalyse urban renewal and development. EWR will place Bletchley at the intersection of strategic east-west and north-south rail routes linking key centres of economic activity. We’ve provided over three million pounds of investment in the existing station, with new high-level platforms to serve the EWR services, and there are ambitions to create a new eastern entrance which will transform the gateway to the town
Meet your community engagement team
Here at EWR Co, we’re passionate about hearing what local representatives and their communities think about East West Rail. It means we can work together as we build a successful project that will deliver shorter journey times, lower transport costs and ease pressure on local roads while bringing people closer to the things that matter most – jobs, friends and family.
Meet your Community Engagement Manager, Gail Buckland and your Local Representatives Groups Engagement Manager, Sarah Jacobs.
We’ve set up 15 Local Representatives Groups in areas along the EWR route. Head over to our community hub where you can find out more, including details of our events.
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Working with land and property owners along the route
We're delivering EWR over several stages. This includes:
- Upgrading an existing section of railway between Oxford and Bicester
- Bringing back a section of railway between Bicester and Bletchley
- Refurbishing existing railway between Bletchley and Bedford
- Building brand new railway infrastructure between Bedford and Cambridge
East West Rail trains are expected to start running between Oxford and Bletchley/Milton Keynes in 2025, with services extending across the route in the coming years – following planning approvals and construction of the new railway.
What’s next?
We expect trains to start running on this section of the railway to Bletchley/Milton Keynes in late 2025. To build and operate a railway which would extend services from Oxford to beyond Bletchley/Milton Keynes, we need to apply for a Development Consent Order (DCO) and as part of this are required to carry out a statutory consultation.
