Town council urges new Government to include Aylesbury spur in East West Rail project

Plans revealed by the previous Government in 2023, left Aylesbury out of its initial construction plans listing it as a ‘potential future section’ on the new rail line.

Now the first phases of the £5 billion rail project are close to serving passengers, including a nearby Milton Keynes to Oxford route, the town council is urging the Government to reassess.

Aylesbury Town Council has written to the town’s MP and the Secretary of State for Transport calling for them to commit to providing a timeline for the Aylesbury Spur of the East West rail project.

Aylesbury’s MP, Laura Kyrke-Smith has supported the move, she said to The Bucks Herald: "The Aylesbury Spur would bring great economic and social benefit to Aylesbury, to the region and beyond. Since being elected as MP for Aylesbury, I have met with key stakeholders including East West Rail and the sub-regional transport body, England’s Economic Heartland, to help build the strongest possible case. I have also raised it directly with the Minister of State for Rail and the Secretary of State for Transport. I will continue to push for the Aylesbury Spur to be built."

Aylesbury Town Council leader, Councillor Richard Lloyd, revealed that the local group voted unanimously in favour of lobbying the Government over the vital rail link.

In the open letter, the council said: “The existing road network in Aylesbury is fragile and East West Rail has a once in a lifetime opportunity to take thousands of car journeys off our roads and onto rail every year.”

It also said better public transport links are vital to town’s like Aylesbury if they are to meet zero emissions targets of 2030.

Data provided by the town council showed that the levels of NO2 at the Air Quality Management Site (AQMA) site in central Aylesbury has, for a number of years, consistently been above the mean objective which is a danger to the health of residents in the town.

The town council added that: “The residents of Aylesbury have over the course of a number of years been paying, via their Council Tax, into East West Rail and to not benefit directly from the scheme does not represent value for money.”

Also the town council noted that Aylesbury is enduring the downsides of having a major rail project developed on its land without receiving any benefits, as it is the largest town where the HS2 project is being constructed.

Another key reason the town council is calling for a timeline for when the line can be introduced is the additional pressures that will be placed on Aylesbury once the major housing scheme is completed.

Bucks Council is implementing a Vale of Aylesbury Local Plan, which is a commitment to constructing 30,000 homes in and around Aylesbury over a 20-year period.

Town council representatives are hoping to meet with Government officials to further argue the case for the Aylesbury spur.