EWR’s new Chief Executive announces new dates for drop-in events with her team
Beth West – the East West Railway Company (EWR Co)’s new Chief Executive – invites people living and working in communities between Oxford and Cambridge to meet the team at a series of drop-in events.
The events, which will take place in June and July, will help residents understand how East West Rail (EWR) is progressing and provide opportunities to meet the EWR Co team face-to-face. The sessions are open to everyone, with events located in Bicester, Bletchley, Cambourne, Cambridge, Haslingfield, Hauxton, Lidlington, Oxford, and Woburn Sands.
Members from the EWR Co team will be on hand at the events to talk about any aspect of the project, illustrated with plans, maps and other information, as well as talking about likely next steps for the project.
The first two events in the series took place in Bedfordshire in May and proved highly successful. More than 350 local people attended, with many expressing how much they valued the chance to meet the team in person.
EWR Co was set a welcome challenge by the public during its second consultation held in 2021, with respondents raising over 160,000 individual matters to consider, each one of which must be taken into account before the next stages can be announced. However, while no new information will be available as the feedback is still being comprehensively reviewed, the team are eager for people to come to meet them outside the formal consultation process.
Beth West – who joined EWR Co in April 2022 with a long track record of delivering projects focused on community and sustainability said:
“I am a passionate advocate of community involvement and am delighted that these events are underway. In my first weeks at EWR, I have talked in depth with people from across the route and have seen how clearly people want us to create something that supports the future of their communities.
“These views were echoed at our recent public events in Bedfordshire, where it was clear people genuinely valued the opportunity to talk to us. Even when we don’t have new information to share, we want to keep talking and we plan to hold these more informal events outside of consultation regularly.
“People deserve accessible, good quality public transport wherever they live, and EWR has the potential to make a tangible, positive impact on the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. If you live or work in the area between Oxford and Cambridge this is a great opportunity for you to meet the EWR Co team.”
These public events have been launched now that the Government has lifted Covid-19 restrictions. They are not part of the formal consultation process but provide an additional opportunity for EWR Co to share information about the project in person.
In addition to these events for the wider community, EWR Co continues to talk directly with residents and businesses whose land is potentially directly affected by the proposals, via individual appointments.
For more information , please visit https://communityhub.eastwestrail.co.uk/community-events. If any resident or business has specific concerns they would like to discuss separately to these meetings, they can get in touch by emailing [email protected].