How East West Rail would benefit Tempsford
East West Rail would make it easier to connect to other parts of the UK and get around the local area with fast connections that are greener for the environment. The new station at Tempsford will be better located to enable a new community to grow, providing access to jobs and days out with friends and family, while encouraging investment in public spaces.
We are working closely with local partners to deliver Local Opportunity Plans that will kickstart growth around the new Tempsford station, offer increased access to opportunities for the local community and regenerate the area.
East West Rail would open up access to the two million-strong jobs market across the region and unlock the area’s huge economic potential, calculated to be worth over £100 billion in additional value every year by 2050. Fast connections would include direct commuter trains to Cambridge to the east, and Milton Keynes and Oxford to the west.
One of our main goals is to foster inclusive growth and to give communities improved access to education, opportunities and skills. The new station at Tempsford will offer a more inclusive transport option, with the new station design providing easy access for good walking, wheeling and those using mobility aids.
EWR would be a new, environmentally sustainable way to travel across the region from Tempsford. It would alleviate the reliance on using cars, reducing emissions with journeys that are better for the environment. Compared to a car, travelling by train can reduce emissions by up to two-thirds and our ambition is to be a net zero carbon railway while delivering a 10% boost to biodiversity. We have already planted more than 150,000 trees along with a number of other wildlife initiatives.
EWR would connect to most of the north-south main lines making it easier to get to the rest of the UK from Tempsford, bringing friends and family closer. With more options and shorter journey times, it will be easier to reach the nation’s most-loved destinations across the UK – enjoy a northern city break in Manchester or a seaside weekend in Brighton.
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.
Our proposals will bring two new accessible stations to the area – one at Tempsford and another north of Cambourne.
We have an emerging preference for a route that connects Bedford and Cambridge via a new station at Tempsford, which we refer to as Alignment 1 (Tempsford variant).
Need to Sell Property Scheme
We understand our plans may affect people’s homes and businesses, so we’re supporting them through our new Need to Sell Property Scheme. This will help property owners who have a compelling reason to sell but are only able to do so at a substantially lower value due to the EWR Project. Eligible owners can apply for their property to be purchased at its unaffected market value.
Find out more here.
Why are we proposing this work?
Building a new rail link between Bedford and Cambridge would bring faster and better long-term connectivity across the region. It would open up new journeys, cut travel times, ease congestion on local roads and bring more jobs within reach of local people.
Proposals
- The maximum height of the railway for Alignment 1b would be higher than the maximum height for Alignment 1c – including at Tempsford station where Alignment 1b is more than twice the height of Alignment 1c. The tracks would be approximately 22m (72 feet) above ground level for Alignment 1b and approximately 9m (29 feet) for Alignment 1c).
- In Alignment 1b, Tempsford station would be located south of the new dual carriageway, and more centrally in a potential Tempsford development. In Alignment 1c, Tempsford station would be located to the north of the new A421 dual carriageway, close to the northern edge of a potential Tempsford development
Alignment 1b follows a similar alignment to Alignment 1a south of the Black Cat roundabout, whereas Alignment 1c runs slightly north of the Black Cat roundabout.
Our assessment shows Alignment 1c offers a number of advantages over Alignment 1b. The railway in Alignment 1c is significantly lower at Tempsford station, reducing its visual impact. It’s also a more affordable option, as it doesn’t require the longer viaduct that would be included in Alignment 1b to cross the A421 dual carriageway.
Alignment 1c offers other advantages too, including in relation to railway operational performance, deliverability and consistency with Local Plans.
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 for this area?
We'll provide further details of our developed proposals for how East West Rail will serve Tempsford at the statutory consultation.