How East West Rail would benefit Bicester
East West Rail would make it easier to connect with other parts of the UK and get around the local area with affordable connections, easing congestion on local roads. A new rail link would increase the opportunity to travel for work, while stimulating employment locally and supporting plans to improve the town centre.
Bicester would benefit from the region’s uplift and be better connected to a market of nearly four million people. The new railway would create economic opportunity for everyone, which could be worth over £100 billion in additional value every year by 2050.
East West Rail would make it easier to travel by train with affordable, regular services through Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Bedford and across the region – making everyday journeys much easier.
With more frequent and affordable direct services to Oxford and Cambridge, Milton Keynes and Bedford, EWR would mean less congestion on Bicester’s busy roads and better air quality – making everyday journeys like the school-run, shopping trips and local appointments more pleasant.
A new rail link would bring regular, fast and affordable transport to Bicester with trains that connect communities across the region from east to west.
EWR would connect to most of the north-south main lines making it easier to get to the rest of the UK from Bicester, bringing family, friends and days out closer. Enjoy the UK’s most-loved destinations by train, from a country escape in East Anglia to the medieval streets of York. Easy interchange with other train lines also means better connections to UK airports such as Luton, Stansted and Birmingham, making overseas destinations more accessible.
EWR would provide new direct connections to Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge, as well as twice as many trains to Oxford. Better connections would provide Bicester residents with better access to jobs and opportunities at all levels across the region, while attracting more employers to the area which would help Bicester and the town centre thrive.
One of our aims is to foster inclusive, local economic growth, giving communities improved access to education and skills with both local and national opportunities.
What work is required in the Bicester area?
We’re undertaking further studies and technical assessments of three potential options for London Road level crossing in order to identify the best solution.
Works to connect the railway between Bicester and Bletchley is almost complete and the Department for Transport is currently in the process of procuring an operator to run these services from 2025.
We’re continuing work to identify the most suitable locations for passing loop between Oxford and Bletchley which would allow faster trains to overtake slower stopping services safely.
Why are we proposing this work?
We recognise that London Road level crossing provides a vital route for people to get into the town centre on foot, by bicycle, public transport and car. Once all EWR services are introduced on the line, the barriers are expected to be down for a significant portion in every hour. At the route update announcement, we set out how we are trying to address several competing priorities in relation to the London Road level crossing.
We highlighted that:
- We recognise the importance of connectivity in Bicester.
- The barriers are currently down for approximately 10 minutes per house while trains are running.
- With the addition of East West Rail services, the barriers would need to be down for much more time, resulting in significantly increased waiting times for people.
Our preferred solution would be to divert traffic via existing and upgraded roads. The level crossing would be replaced by a bridge or underpass for pedestrian, cyclists and other users. Further details can be found in the Consultation Document.
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.
Community hubLatest stories
24.05.24
Update following government announcement
22.05.24
New EWR Co CEO announced
15.05.24
Working with land and property owners along the route
27.03.24
Nine community conversation events scheduled ahead of first stage of statutory consultation
12.03.24
Oxford to Bedford services accelerated as part of Spring Budget investment
07.03.24
East West Rail connects Oxford and Bletchley for the first time in 50 years
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.
