First look at East West Rail map showing route and new …

Maps showing updated proposals of the route between Oxford-Cambridge, and the Cambridge ^[1] approach, have been released by the East West Rail Company (EWR Co).^[2] The government announcement today (Friday, May 26) showed their preference for a southern route into Cambridge, and a new rail station at Cambourne ^[3].

EWR said proposals for a southern approach via the Cambridge Biomedical Campus could "connect more people with opportunities in Cambridge."

The line will leave a station at Cambourne and continue south-east, passing to the south of Haslingfield and Harston villages, at this point it would merge with the Shepreth branch line via a grade-separated junction at Hauxton, and then join the West Anglia Mainline.

Map shows new route for East West Rail with a new station at Cambourne (Image: EWR Co)

EWR have said they have made "significant improvements" to the impact of a southern route by "reducing the need for and height of embankments and viaducts" through South Cambridgeshire.

On the line between Little Shelford and Hauxton, rail services would stop at the new Cambridge South station, which is situated next to the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, and then proceed north to Cambridge station.

East West Rail's new map shows the updated plans for a railway into Cambridge (Image: EWR Co)

Beth West, CEO, EWR Co, said "quick, reliable public transport" linking Cambridge with Bedford, Milton Keynes and Oxford continues to have "widespread local support", adding: "Our updated proposals have been shaped by the hundreds of conversations we’ve had with local people, businesses and other stakeholders and the thousands of responses

"We received to our most recent public consultation. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who took the time to meet with us and help shape our proposals – and we look forward to seeing you at more community events this summer.”

Rail Minister, Huw Merriman said: “The delivery of East West Rail continues to move at pace and today’s announcement demonstrates our commitment to improving travel and supporting economic growth between the historic, thriving cities of Oxford and Cambridge.

“This major railway line is expected to not only boost local economies but also, slash journey times and transform rail travel for passengers in and around the region for generations to come.”

"The new railway connecting Bedford with Milton Keynes, Cambridge and Oxford will open up new journeys for local communities, including key interchanges with the East Coast Mainline, Midland Main Line and the West Coast Mainline.

"It will also shorten east-west journey times and unlock new opportunities for businesses in the area, providing access to a wider pool of talent and the space to expand."

East West Rail has organised a series of public drop-in events across the updated route to provide opportunities to meet the EWR Co team and find out more about the proposals.

Published alongside the Route Update Report:

The Consultation Feedback Report – which outlines the feedback received from the 2021 public consultation, the responses to the matters that were raised and how these have been taken into consideration
Economic and Technical Report – which considers the strategic case for investing in EWR and ways of delivering the benefits of EWR at a lower cost to the taxpayer
Need to Sell Property Scheme – the scheme, which has been developed following consultation feedback to provide support to eligible property owners who have a compelling reason to sell their property but are unable to do so except at a substantially reduced value because of EWR.

For more information, you can visit their website here.^[5]

References

^{^} Cambridge (www.cambridge-news.co.uk)
^{^} have been released by the East West Rail Company (EWR Co). (www.cambridge-news.co.uk)
^{^} Cambourne (www.cambridge-news.co.uk)
^{^}