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Opportunities to unlock substantial economic and environmental benefits by investing in rail are being taken forward by England’s Economic Heartland, following expert analysis of the region’s long-term rail needs.

EEH’s Rail Main Line Priorities Study, published today, provides a comprehensive baseline of rail in the region post-covid, considering not just the network itself, but the quality of door-to-door connectivity and interchange. It then highlights nine ‘packages for investment’ across the network, which EEH is now working with partners to further develop.

The packages for investment cover:

East West Rail: Full delivery of the core scheme from Oxford to Cambridge.

Chiltern transformation: Through delivering a decarbonised railway, and enhancing the route with new links between Milton Keynes, Aylesbury and Old Oak Common.

Decarbonisation: Delivering a fully decarbonised railway across the region through use of targeted overhead wiring and battery technology where more appropriate.

Main line connectivity: Ensuring the EEH main line services benefit from wider rail investment and changes to rail services, particularly related to HS2.

Investigating hub to hub connections: Considering opportunities to further investigate new strategic public transport links, including bus and rail options, between key rail hubs.

New stations: To service existing and expanding communities, including in Oxfordshire, Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire.

Regional connectivity: Through new services or lines, for example between Oxford and Swindon, or the Cotswold Line.

Hubs and Accessibility: Improving the existing key rail hubs across the region, developing stations for better interchange and door to door connectivity.

Fares and Ticketing: Improving public transport ticketing across EEH.

EEH, which commissioned Arup to provide technical expertise for the study, will collaborate with key organisations such as the rail industry and local and combined authorities to develop the packages, helping to achieve long-term positive outcomes across the rail network.

Good progress has already been made in several areas. Following prolonged advocacy by the region over several decades, the first phase of East West Rail between Oxford and Milton Keynes is due to open next year - indeed the first trains ran on the track this week (see below). EEH is working closely with Government and East West Railway Company to secure the best possible legacy from the scheme, including seamless door-to-door connectivity.

It is also already making the strong case for investment in schemes such as the rail corridor from Northampton to Old Oak Common (including the Aylesbury-Milton Keynes link), Ely Junction and services between Oxford, Swindon and Bristol.

In addition, EEH has formed the ‘Wider South East Rail Partnership’ with Transport East and Transport for South East to engage with strategic network planners, including Great British Railways as it is established. 

Chair of England’s Economic Heartland, Cllr Liz Leffman, said: “Improving the region’s rail network and – crucially, the connectivity to and from stations – is essential to unlocking economic growth while reducing transport emissions. We now have a clear set of priorities based on sound evidence and we’re working hard to make the case that the region is pivotal to realising the government’s ambitions – but we must have investment in our infrastructure to achieve this.” 

A landmark was reached on Monday 21 October, after a test train successfully completed its first run between Oxford and Milton Keynes on East West Rail.

Departing from Oxford station at 9.43am, a Chiltern Class 168 train made a full journey along the line, travelling via Bicester, Winslow and Bletchley before arriving at Milton Keynes Central at 10.25am. The journey along the entire route took 42 minutes to complete, with the train reaching the full line speed of 100mph on several sections of line.

This test run marks a major stage in the East West Rail project which plans to connect Oxford to Cambridge on completion, unlocking economic growth and creating new opportunities across the region. The first phase of the project, now complete, aims to see the first passenger service starting in 2025 - exactly 30 years after the East West Rail Consortium (now East West Main Line Partnership) of local authorities was formed and made the original business case for the scheme.

EEH was delighted to facilitate a site visit to National Highways Black Cat Roundabout site this week.

Members of EEH's Early Careers Network, alongside members of our Transport Officer Group, took part in the visit.

To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, EEH is hosting an event in Aylesbury (also available online) on Monday, 25 November to explore what policy-makers, strategists and early scheme developers can do to enhance women and girl’s safety on public transport. 

We'll be joined by a panel of expert speakers who will present their findings and recommendations for local authorities on various dimensions of women’s safety, led by Dr Maurizio Catulli from the University of Hertfordshire. Dr Catulli will be presenting his British Academy funded research on 'Women and Mobility as a Service: An exploration of the issues faced by women when using shared mobility and possible responses by providers.

More details to come next week.

Register your interest here

Central Bedfordshire has installed a new 'super shelter' at their most used bus stop at Court Drive, Dunstable.

This upgrade is the first in a series of new state-of-the-art bus shelters, funded through the Department for Transport’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP). Shelter upgrades promise to improve thousands of bus passengers daily experiences.

The new shelter is designed with comfort, accessibility, and safety in mind. It includes 12 passenger waiting bays, two dedicated cycle storage bays, and wide entrances that accommodate wheelchair users.

Cllr Tracey Wye, Executive Member for Sustainability and Climate Resilience, said: "Bus stops have certainly come a long way to becoming a place where passengers can not only wait protected from the elements but also safely store their bikes and charge their phones."

Read more here

See below for more news from across the region:

As part of our centre of excellence offer, we are committed to sharing opportunities for free learning and development from across the transport sector – here’s some upcoming sessions we’ve spotted:

Ahead of this year's ADEPTs Autumn Conference, Colas is conducting a short survey to help ensure they deliver a workshop that will address some of the key issues relating to decarbonisation in Place.

The data collected is entirely for the purpose of shaping the workshops at the Autumn Conference and will not be used post event. You do not have to be attending the conference for your views to be relevant - Colas would like as much input as possible.

Find out more here

See below for opportunities in the region

Senior Project Manager, Cambridgeshire County Council, Closing: 31/10/24

DRT Fleet Co-Ordinator, Hertfordshire County Council, Closing: 31/10/24

Principal Transport Planner (Strategy), North Northamptonshire Council, Closing: 04/11/24

Transport Service Manager, Luton Borough Council, Closing: 04/11/24

Assistant Highway Development Management Engineer, Cambridgeshire County Council, Closing: 05/11/24

Highways Contracts Manager, Central Bedfordshire Council, Closing: 12/11/24

Transport Project Officer, West Northamptonshire Council, Closing: 20/11/24

Newsletter produced by England's Economic Heartland sub-national transport body, based at Buckinghamshire Council, Walton Street, Aylesbury. Email businessunit@englandseconomicheartland.com for general enquiries.