East West Rail’s ground investigations unearth finds from the Jurassic Period  

·       Fossils including sharks’ teeth from the dinosaur age discovered in soil samples 

·       Borehole investigations will ensure the new railway is designed and built in an environmentally sustainable and cost-effective manner 

·       Work aims to reduce construction risk and land-take, and prevent delays to project  

·       Strict measures put in place to minimise impacts on land and landowners 

​East West Railway Company (EWR Co) has begun the first phase of ground investigations along the proposed route between Oxford and Cambridge – with fossils including sharks’ teeth from the dinosaur age unearthed in early soil samples. 

The work aims to ensure the new railway is designed and built in an environmentally sustainable, safe and cost-effective way.​ By allowing detailed information about soil, rock, and groundwater conditions to be gathered, the ground investigations aim to reduce risk and the amount of potential land needed for the railway, and prevent delays to the project.  

Soil samples taken along the planned East West Rail route have so far unearthed fossils including sharks’ teeth and ammonites - marine creatures from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods which became extinct around the same time as the dinosaurs.* 

The ground investigations are expected to take several weeks to complete. As part of the work, EWR Co has been working closely with landowners to ensure a smooth and efficient way of conducting the investigations, which include returning each site to its original condition after the work has been completed.** 

EWR Co is committed to minimising disruption to local communities during the investigations with contractors adhering to strict health and safety procedures. Despite only requiring access to each site for a short period of time, the teams have been implementing impact reduction measures such as laying temporary trackways to prevent mud on roads, ensuring bio-security risks are minimised, along with scheduling work during daytime hours to reduce impacts further.  

Three techniques will be employed as part of the work - cable percussion boreholes, rotary boreholes and trial pits - which will be used to collect soil samples and assess ground conditions. Boreholes will be drilled to a maximum depth of 40m, although most will be between 10m and 20m below ground level.  

To provide further insight into the ground investigation process, EWR Co has produced a video which aims to provide better public understanding of the work being undertaken and its importance in the development of the East West Rail project.​ 

Neil Esslemont, Engineering Specialist – Geotechnical at EWR Co, said:  “We need to understand the ground conditions to allow us to construct the railway safely and in an efficient manner. By understanding the ground conditions thoroughly, we can design the railway to be cheaper to build, so we spend less taxpayers’ money on construction. And partly it's a risk management exercise. If we understand what's here, then we're reducing the risk that we need to deal with during the construction phase.” 

David Bray, Programme Director at EWR Co, said: “These ground investigations are a vital early step in designing a railway that is not only safe and reliable, but also respectful of the local environment and communities it will serve. By understanding the ground conditions in detail, we can make better-informed decisions about where and how we build – helping us to reduce environmental impact, manage costs and deliver a railway that works for everyone." 

For more information about the ground investigations, please visit: https://eastwestrail.co.uk/gi2025  

Ends 

Media assets 

Video explaining the ground investigations work 

Notes to Editor 

*The fossil of sharks’ teeth was found in Chapel Hill, south Cambridgeshire. Chapel Hill’s geology is characterised by a section of Elsterian till, which is a glacial deposit. This till, also known as boulder clay, once overlaid West Melbury Formation Chalk bedrock. The till has been quarried away at the Barrington Works, revealing the underlying bedrock. Cambridgeshire's geological history spans over 500 million years. During the Jurassic period, the area was covered by warm, shallow seas, depositing limestone and clays such as the Oxford and Ampthill Clays. In the Cretaceous Period, chalk formed, now exposed in the Gog Magog Hills south of Cambridge. Fossils previously found (not by East West Railway Co) in Cambridgeshire range from ancient marine reptiles and giant ammonites from the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods to mammoth tusks and hippo skulls from the Pleistocene Ice Age.

Bedfordshire's visible geological history spans more than 200 million years. It begins in the tropical seas of the Jurassic limestones of the Ouse valley, followed by lagoons where dinosaurs roamed 170 million years ago. The Greensand Ridge was once a sandy shallow seaway, and the high white Chalk hills were deposited at the bottom of a warm blue ocean. This marine environment supported a rich diversity of life, including ammonites, belemnites, and marine reptiles such as ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs. Fossils preserved in these rocks provide important evidence of the area's prehistoric marine ecosystem. The Oxford Clay, in particular, is well known in Bedfordshire for yielding exceptionally well-preserved fossils, offering insights into the ancient ocean's flora and fauna.  

**Landowners have already been informed about the specific types of investigations planned on their properties through access licences, which also include photographs and descriptions of the methods which are being used. 

Programme techniques explained: 

Cable percussion drilling is the most common drilling method used across the UK for ground investigations. It involves using a winch and tripod structure to lower a cutter for cohesive soils or bailers for non-cohesive soils while suspended from a cable.  

Rotary drilling is used to collect soil and rock strata samples, or to form deep observation boreholes as part of Geotechnical and Environmental ground investigations. This is a fast-drilling technique used where penetration is required through very dense soils and rock to investigate the sub-surface conditions of a development site. Rotary drilling advances a borehole using impact energy plus rotation. 

Trial Pits are a site investigation technique used to assess the ground conditions, soil profiles and ground water conditions on a site where construction or development is planned. Trial pits are dug before the construction starts. They allow a large volume of the ground to be inspected and tested in-situ Trial pits, also known as Trial trenches, Trial Holes, and test pits, can be excavated relatively quickly and are often used at the beginning of the site investigation process to explore shallow ground conditions. 

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 three Connection Stages:  

·       Connection Stage One: Oxford to Bletchley and Milton Keynes  

·       Connection Stage Two: Oxford to Bedford  

·       Connection Stage Three: Oxford to Cambridge  

Network Rail was responsible for developing the first part of Connection Stage One, connecting Oxford with Bicester before the East West Rail Company (EWR co) was set up.  Since 2018, EWR Co and Network Rail have partnered in a construction alliance, East West Rail Alliance, to complete Connection Stage One. EWR Co and Network Rail are acting as the Department for Transport’s joint sponsors.  

To deliver Connection Stage 2 and Connection Stage 3 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 2018 to deliver the East West Rail (EWR) Project.    

EWR Co aims to bring fresh thinking to the Project, challenging the industry status quo, leading to more efficient and cost-effective project delivery and better outcomes for the communities in and around the Project.  

The corridor, which runs from Oxford through Milton Keynes and Bedford to Cambridge, is an economic artery that makes the UK a global leader in life sciences, technology and innovation, with the potential to create jobs, drive growth and attract investment for the entire country. EWR Co’s ambition is to unlock the full potential of this region that is vital to keeping the UK globally competitive in a way that considers the environment and offers value for taxpayers.