East West Rail consultation to start next month - but key details on impact for Bedford not yet available
Residents are being asked to comment on East West Rail plans for Bedford despite key details about construction disruption and traffic impacts not yet being available, Bedford Borough Council has said.
At the council’s East West Rail Public Meeting held on March 17, attendees heard that information on construction, traffic management, and impact on the road network was not currently available.
Jo Branson-Budd, head of capital projects, infrastructure and sustainable travel, said: “We just don’t have the information, because the phasing of the construction and how it’s sequenced and the impact of the highway network and everything else will need to be very carefully considered and thought out so we don’t end up with gridlock across the borough.”
The comment comes ahead of a further non-statutory consultation by East West Rail, due to begin in April, where residents will be invited to submit feedback on updated proposals.
Council officers encouraged residents to take part, stressing that the project is still at a pre-application stage and that feedback could influence the final scheme before it is submitted for development consent.
In a statement to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) following the meeting, East West Rail said detailed construction and traffic plans are still being developed and will form part of its Development Consent Order (DCO) application, expected in 2027.
A spokesperson said: “We are refining our design proposals… and will be providing an update on our latest plans in a consultation starting in April.
“As we finalise the design, we will be able to confirm our construction plans… publishing information at this time would be premature and subject to change.”
The company said it remains committed to “minimising disruption and managing impacts as effectively as possible”.
The meeting, held to gather feedback from residents, was attended by only a small number of attendees despite “800 letters” being sent out inviting people to attend.
One attendee said that many residents don’t fully understand the scale of the project’s potential impact.
EWR said it plans to promote the upcoming consultation through a range of channels, including postcards to more than 400,000 homes alongside newspaper and online news advertising.
“We are also advertising in all our key areas through billboard posters; smaller posters used in high traffic areas such as bus stops; phone box vinyls; and taxi wraps in Black Cabs which serve Bedford station,” the spokesperson said.
The project remains in its early planning stages, with construction currently anticipated to begin in 2028, subject to approval through the national infrastructure planning process.