East West Rail route will cause Bedford a "lifetime of pollution, noise and increased traffic," says campaign group

Campaign group Stop The Arc Group (STARC) has slammed the East West Rail (EWR) preferred route from Bedford to Cambridge.

The group claims it is the most complex, most polluting and most damaging of five original options.

In a statement, STARC chair Charles Pither, said: “The choice of route through Bedford is inexplicable. In Bedford it destroys houses and businesses. It means years of sprawling construction work in the heart of the town, and a lifetime of pollution, noise and increased traffic.

"Beyond Bedford, it ploughs along the longest and most environmentally-damaging route to into Cambridge where the central station will need a decade of remodelling.

“Even HS2 does not rip through the heart of large towns in the way proposed for Bedford.

"The choice of route is poorly justified. There are better, cheaper, more credible alternatives, supported by Bedford's own consultants, by Network Rail for some time, and – most important – by the people of Bedford.

"The decision to build route E – along its entire route, appears to have been made with minimal effective public consultation, lobbying against the public will, disregard for community, on the basis of magically changing costings, and on a business case so poor it would be laughed at by private finance. Our recent survey showed that 19 times as many people preferred a less damaging route with longer journey times than the proposal.”

On Friday, despite arguments that four tracks north of Bedford would be plenty for the new line, East West Rail said it was sticking with its six-track plan.