East West Rail for Bedford will cost taxpayers "enormous amount" but make "shedloads" for landowners and developers, blasts MP

In an exchange between Richard Fuller and Huw Merriman – the minister of state for transport in the House of Commons – the MP for North East Bedfordshire was quick to point out who the project’s winners and losers are.

On Thursday (May 16), Mr Fuller said: “The connection of East West Rail from Bedford to Cambridge will cost the taxpayer an enormous amount of money – the minister knows that, because he was at the Transport Committee sitting right next to the permanent secretary when she said so – although apparently that is OK because a few landowners and developers will make shedloads of money out of planning gain. Meanwhile, the latest chief executive officer of East West Rail has scarpered because he could not stand the heat in the kitchen.”

When asked about how the project was progressing, Mr Merriman said: “At the spring budget, £240 million was announced to accelerate work introducing services between Oxford and Bedford by the end of the decade. Following the announcement of the preferred route alignment between Bedford and Cambridge last May, a statutory consultation is due to launch this summer.”

But Mr Fuller was quick to clap back and said: “As the minister said, East West Rail is progressing with a statutory consultation – having completely fluffed the first consultation by not contacting the right people – but holding it over the summer months while people are away. All the time, the project is being driven by the economic growth board in the Treasury, which meets secretly and tells people nothing. What can the minister tell my constituents about this project?”

Mr Merriman said: “I believe that East West Rail is critical in delivering a workforce to Cambridge, which will allow Cambridge to compete with the likes of Boston and cities in south-east Asia so that those pioneers have a workforce and we can keep Cambridge, and indeed Oxford, motoring on that basis.”

East West is hosting a series of community drop-in events this month ahead of the statutory consultation.

The last one is being held this Friday (May 24) at Marston Moreteyne Community Centre, Great Linns, Marston Moretaine, from 2-7pm.