East West Rail reveals updated designs, accelerated construction plan, and up to five trains an hour in latest consultation
- Up to five EWR trains an hour and longer trains proposed for the entire route
- New visualisation images and fly-through animations highlight latest design proposals
- Proposals to connect Tempsford will be brought forward by five years
- A rebuilt and enlarged Bedford station, including a new western entrance, additional platforms, improved drop-off and bus connections and public plaza
- Full upgrade of the Marston Vale Line including four new stations to be accelerated
- Hybrid electric/battery trains to support net zero goals
East West Railway Company (EWR Co) has today launched its latest consultation which includes updated proposals for the new railway. Key design updates include an accelerated construction programme to deliver the benefits of the railway to communities earlier and the delivery of up to five trains an hour.
The latest details are part of East West Rail’s last route-wide consultation on the project, which will connect Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge before a Development Consent Order (DCO) application to build the railway is submitted in 2027.
These proposals now take into account the plans for the Universal Resort near Bedford and reflect the expected increase in passenger demand along the line and include provision for a station at Stewartby to serve the theme park.
As a result, EWR is now proposed to be built in new delivery phases* - replacing the previous connection stages - with new stations and sections of the railway opening as soon as they are ready, rather than waiting for the whole route to be completed.
This approach aims to bring forward better benefits to communities and passengers and accelerate the delivery of EWR in certain sections, allowing new communities to grow around the infrastructure in place, unlocking housing opportunities and drawing in more investment and businesses. It will also better align with getting high-capacity frequent services to the new Universal Resort earlier than previously anticipated.
A core EWR service of four trains per hour across the whole route is now proposed, with an additional fifth train running at peak times or potentially all day, if required. This fifth train could be used to enable service extensions to and from locations on the wider rail network beyond the EWR route. Five-carriage trains, rather than four carriages, are also proposed due to increased demand.
Latest proposals:
- Tempsford - plans to connect the proposed new town of Tempsford to the rail network will be brought forward five years earlier than originally planned. Construction of a new station at Tempsford would start by 2030, giving Tempsford access to north-south services on the East Coast Main Line. EWR platforms would follow in the mid to late 2030s. We would support increased train capacity from the west to Milton Keynes, where Universal plan to run a coach shuttle service to the new resort when it opens. Once everything is up and running, Tempsford will offer direct east-west links to Oxford, Bedford and Cambridge, as well as services to Peterborough and London. Extending the station to include a southern entrance is now proposed to provide improved access on both sides of the A421 and support a phased opening. There would be north-south connectivity via a new underpass beneath the new A421, providing active travel and bus routes to and from the station.
- Marston Vale Line - improvements on the Marston Vale Line will also be accelerated. This includes upgrades to the track, electrification and a new station at Stewartby to serve the Universal theme park - along with three new fully accessible stations at Woburn Sands, Ridgmont and Lidlington. These upgrades will allow four trains an hour to run between Oxford and Stewartby by the early 2030s. Universal will start with shuttle buses from Milton Keynes, but by fast tracking this part of the project, EWR trains can serve the park with 4 trains an hour within its first few years of operation.
- Bedford - the delivery of a brand-new station in Bedford, including a new western entrance, is being brought forward. This will regenerate a key gateway to the town and create full connectivity in every direction. Once it’s complete, those four trains an hour between Oxford and Stewartby will be extended to Bedford by the mid-2030s.
- Cambridge - improvements in Cambridge are also being accelerated. This includes a new entrance at Cambridge station and a new station at Cambridge East, which will be ready for other services — like Greater Anglia trains to Ipswich — before East West Rail fully launches. When everything is complete, Cambridge will be better connected than ever, with stations to the north, south, east, west (at Cambourne) and in the city centre.
- Full-service timeline - the full end-to-end service with up to five trains an hour running all the way from Oxford to Cambridge will be operational by the mid to late 2030s.
- Electrification - hybrid electric/battery-equipped trains are planned to operate along the railway to enhance decarbonisation, support UK net zero goals, and reduce emissions.
- Modern stations - train stations will support multi-modal travel with integrated bus and active travel connections, mobility hubs, and improved station access for walking, wheeling, cycling, taxis, and parking.
- Environment - to achieve sustainability goals, the designs seek to realise opportunities to enhance and strengthen green infrastructure networks, to benefit local people and nature along the line of the route. Environmental assessment and mitigation proposals include habitat creation, flood mitigation, noise barrier location development, drainage pond and floodplain compensation locations, species connectivity (green bridges, corridors) and landscape integration and reduced cutting/embankment heights.
David Hughes, CEO, East West Railway Company, said: “These updated proposals mark a major step forward for East West Rail to help ensure communities see the benefits of the project sooner as we finalise the design. Faster delivery, more frequent services and new stations will help unlock housing, support new jobs and attract investment, while giving residents and businesses better connections between Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge.
“By bringing forward key elements of the railway and planning for increased demand, we are helping to ensure the infrastructure is in place to support future growth and opportunities for our communities. I encourage residents, businesses and stakeholders to take part in the consultation and share their views on our latest plans.”
Rail Minister, Lord Peter Hendy, said: “East West Rail will unlock 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, jobs and homes. This consultation reflects continuing progress on the final design for this critical railway and another step forward to delivering the benefits of this project to a multitude of individuals, local communities and businesses.”
Gidon Freeman, Vice-President, External Affairs, Universal Destinations and Experiences, said: “One of the reasons we selected our site for a new entertainment resort complex featuring a world class theme park is its central location and excellent transport links. East West Rail can further improve that connectivity - its proposed station by Universal would enhance guest and team member arrival with a new link to our resort from across the Ox-Cam Corridor.”
Dr Andy Williams, Chair, Oxford-Cambridge Supercluster Board, said: "East West Rail will greatly improve connectivity between Oxford, Cambridge and the towns in between, stimulating the flow of talented people, innovation and investment needed to secure the UK's position as a global science supercluster. It will boost business confidence in the region, providing opportunities to expand to other locations along the route, such as Bedford and Milton Keynes, and connecting a region of 3.5 million people ready to compete with other global superclusters like Silicon Valley.”
Feedback from the consultation will be taken into account as designs for the railway are finalised ready for the submission of a Development Consent Order in 2027.
The consultation will run for eight weeks from April 14 to June 9, 2026. A series of public drop-in events are being held across the route to provide opportunities to meet the EWR Co team and find out more about the updated proposals*.
For more information about the consultation and how to get involved, please visit the consultation page, contact EWR Co’s helpdesk at [email protected] or call 0330 134 0067.
Feedback must be received by 23:59 on 9 June 2026.
Ends
Media assets
MVL animation: https://youtu.be/w_1jcLT7Nq4
North of Bedford animation: https://youtu.be/uIujFpvUfo8
Tempsford animation: https://youtu.be/QMiS9A8Isf0
Hauxton junction animation showing Harston to Newton connectivity: https://youtu.be/B8XBIEQaZjA
Turn up and go animation: https://youtu.be/bnuedofB1gE
Accelerated programme animation: https://youtu.be/BBjAyCq85pg
Latest images of new stations are available on request.
Notes to Editors
Consultation events
In-person events will take place at the following locations, where people can find out more about the latest proposals, talk with experts from EWR Co, ask questions and submit feedback:
|
Date |
Venue |
|
Monday 20th April 6pm-8pm |
Online webinar: https://shorturl.at/LdoK2
|
|
Thursday 23rd April 2pm-7pm |
Stuart Memorial Hall Church Street, Tempsford, SG19 2AW |
|
Saturday 25th April 12pm-5pm |
Summerlin Centre 138 Station Road, Woburn Sands, Milton Keynes, MK17 8SG |
|
Wednesday 29th April 2pm-7pm |
Bletchley Masonic Centre Fenny Stratford, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, MK2 2BZ |
|
Thursday 30th April 12pm-5pm |
Stewartby Village Hall |
|
Friday 1st May 2pm-7pm |
Great Shelford Rugby Club Cambridge Road, Great Shelford, Cambridge, CB22 5JJ |
|
Wednesday 6th May 2.30pm-4.30pm |
Online webinar: https://shorturl.at/61gDs |
|
Tuesday 12th May 11am-6pm |
The King’s Centre |
|
Thurs 14th May 2pm-7pm |
Lidlington Village Hall |
|
Friday 15th May 2pm-7pm |
Longueville Hall Milton Keynes, MK17 0AT |
|
Monday 18th May 11am-6pm |
Venture Conferencing, Christian Centre, Strudwick Drive, Oldbrook, Milton Keynes, MK6 2TG |
|
Thursday 21st May 11am-6pm |
Cambridge United Football Club Cledara Abbey Stadium, Newmarket Road, Cambridge, CB5 8LN |
|
Saturday 23rd May 11am-6pm |
King's House |
|
Saturday 30th May 11am-6pm |
Cambridge Belfry Hotel, Back Lane, Great Cambourne, Cambourne, Cambridge CB23 6BW |
|
Tuesday 2nd June 10am-12pm |
Online webinar: https://shorturl.at/ljyQ0 |
*How we will deliver East West Rail
By 2030:
We would start construction of a new station at Tempsford, with platforms on the East Coast Main Line, to serve the proposed new town with north-south train links. This would provide connectivity to Tempsford earlier than originally planned. EWR platforms would follow in the mid to late 2030s. We would support increased train capacity from the west to Milton Keynes, where Universal plan to run a coach shuttle service to the new resort when it opens.
By the early 2030s:
We would upgrade and electrify the Marston Vale Line meaning we could introduce four trains per hour between Oxford and Stewartby. We would construct four modern, fully accessible stations, including a new station at Stewartby to serve the Universal resort and improve Bletchley station. Accelerating this part of the programme means train services would be starting within the first few years of the park opening, in line with expected increase in demand.
By the mid-2030s:
We would accelerate the construction of an upgraded station in Bedford, delivering modern facilities and improved connections for both north-south and east-west train services. Once complete, up to four trains per hour would serve Bedford from the west.
We would provide a new entrance at Cambridge station and deliver early connectivity improvements for passengers ahead of the introduction of EWR services. We would also complete the new station at Cambridge East (subject to third-party funding), enabling other services to use the station before EWR services start.
By the mid to late 2030s:
We plan to open the full railway by the mid-to-late 2030s. By this time the new section of railway between Bedford and Cambridge would have been completed, and all new stations would have been opened. We anticipate EWR services would be running full train services.
Train services
We are proposing to run longer trains due to the increased demand. These trains would be up to five carriages. The proposed EWR train services would be:
- Two Oxford to Milton Keynes services in each direction per hour
- Two Oxford to Cambridge East services in each direction per hour
- Two Bletchley to Cambridge services in each direction per hour
- One additional service which could be used to enable service extensions to and from locations on the wider rail network beyond the EWR route.
Consultation Timeline & Process
- Previous consultations held: 2019, 2021, 2024.
- The next and final consultation: 13 April – 8 June 2026.
- More than 80 design changes have already been made in response to earlier public feedback, as outlined in the You Said, We Did update published in November 2025
- A Development Consent Order (DCO) application will be submitted in 2027.
Media contacts:
- Press office email: [email protected]
- Press office phone: 0330 134 0053
About the East West Rail Project
The East West Rail Project is a once in a generation opportunity to connect people and businesses between Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge through a new direct rail line. It is a railway with community at its heart that will open up new journeys, cut travel times, and ease congestion on local roads. The route will connect people to the things and places that matter, bringing local benefit and sustainable growth by unlocking the social and economic potential of the area.
The East West Rail Project will be delivered in different phases. Network Rail was responsible for developing the first part of the first phase between Oxford and Milton Keynes, connecting Oxford with Bicester before the East West Rail Company (EWR co) was set up. Between 2018 and 2024, EWR Co and Network Rail partnered in a construction alliance, East West Rail Alliance, to complete the infrastructure to Bletchley. Chiltern Railways has taken over as the operator of this section and are working to start passenger services as soon as possible.
To deliver the railway onwards from Bletchley to Bedford and Cambridge, a new railway needs to be constructed between Bedford and Cambridge, and associated works are needed between Oxford and Bedford to upgrade and refurbish the existing railway infrastructure. EWR Co proposes to make an application to the Secretary of State for a Development Consent Order (DCO) to permit the construction and operation of these works.
About the East West Railway Company
The East West Railway Company (EWR Co) is a non-departmental public body with limited company status set up by the Secretary of State for Transport in 2017 to deliver the East West Rail (EWR) Project.