East West Rail addresses public’s questions after route update plans released

CEO of East West Railway Company has answered the public’s questions about the new East West Rail (EWR) line following the publication of updated route plans.

East West Railway Company (EWR Co) received comments and questions about the new routes since the new proposals were published. In a video addressing residents’ concerns, Beth West talked about the reasoning behind the company’s decision to create a route going north of Bedford. Beth said there were two reasons for not using the south route. She said that it is important to connect into Bedford town centre because of the opportunities this would bring.

Beth added: “The second is of the southern route is very environmentally damaging and it could have a serious flood implication for Bedford town centre itself.

“In order to make that work we'd have to build very high viaducts, which will have a serious impact onto the landscape.”

In a second, animated video, the reasoning behind needing two tracks north of Bedford was explained.

This news comes after EWR Co’s latest proposal announcement last month for the EWR line, which included proposals for a new Bedford Hospital station, the preferred route between Bedford and Cambridge and the need to protect the reliability of Midland Main Line’s existing services.

In a statement about the videos, the CEO said: “I’m a strong believer in community involvement and we know individual residents, neighbourhoods, communities and businesses in the area will have questions about how the proposals affect them.”

She was ‘determined’ to respond to questions. Beth encouraged residents to carry on asking questions and attend the drop-in events. Beth added: “EWR is a once in a generation opportunity. It has the potential to positively impact the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.

“If you live or work around Bedfordshire, this is your railway, so I’d urge you to come along and speak to the team about the updated proposals.”

Residents can find out more about the new EWR proposals by meeting the EWR Co team face-to-face. The sessions are open to everyone, with the Bedfordshire events taking place on:

Tuesday June 13 in Bedford, at Bedford Heights, from 2pm until 8pm | Tuesday June 20 in Ravensden, at Ravensden Village Hall, from 2pm until 8pm | Tuesday July 4 in Lidlington, at Lidlington Village Hall, from 2pm until 8pm | Friday July 7 in Tempsford, at Tempsford Stuart Memorial Hall, from 2pm until 8pm

The events are part of the public consultation, which is set to have more detailed proposals and is expected to take place in the first half of next year.