Aylesbury East-West Rail link 'still on the table' says government minister

The Transport Minister Chris Heaton-Harris has told local MP Rob Butler that he “has kept the door open as far as possible” to the Aylesbury spur of East-West Rail, but that a stronger economic case needs to be made for the link to go ahead.

Mr Butler had secured an Adjournment Debate in the House of Commons after Aylesbury was left out of the funding announcement for the next phase of the line.

Speaking in Parliament [on Monday night], Rob said: “I submit that it is absolutely right and reasonable for my constituents to say to the Government that if we must have all the disruption of HS2 and if we must endure new housing construction, then the least consolation would be to give us the railway that we do want, and indeed thought that we were going to get. It has support from residents, with a petition still collecting signatures. It is championed by Buckinghamshire Council, which has itself contributed millions of pounds to funding the scheme’s development.

"It is backed by Buckinghamshire’s local enterprise partnership and by Bucks Business First. The station is there, most of the track is there, and the passengers are poised.”

The minister replied that Rob had “made a compelling case for the spur and has done well to secure this debate on transport in his constituency.

"He made an informative speech on the potential for East West Rail to serve Aylesbury in the future and outlined the fantastic attractions that exist in his county town and constituency. Obviously, he is a strong advocate for a place he truly loves.”

But the minister revealed the design, development and delivery of East West Rail has changed, and instead of delivering East West Rail in sections— western and central —it will

now be delivered in “connection stages”.

He said: “I understand my hon. Friend’s concerns and those of his constituents that the proposed spur connecting Aylesbury and Milton Keynes, which previously formed

part of the western section, is not included as part of the three main connection stages.

"That does not mean that the Aylesbury spur will not go ahead by any means, but it is important that a strong economic case can be made for proceeding with that element of the East West Rail scheme, and that a reliable rail service can be introduced without jeopardising existing services.”

The minister continued: “The Secretary of State for Transport and I have instructed our officials in the Department to include financial provision for the design and delivery of the Aylesbury spur as part of the comprehensive spending review that will take place later this year.

"As my hon. Friend will appreciate, there will be many competing demands from a wide variety of schemes as part of that process, and boosting the available funding through local contributions will make the Aylesbury spur an even more attractive proposition. As Rail Minister, I will continue to ensure that East West Rail works hard with its stakeholders to drive down costs and make the strongest possible case for the scheme to be delivered in full.”

Afterwards, Rob commented: “As I said in the debate, the original business case for Phase 2 of East West Rail including Aylesbury is stronger than the business case for HS2. It is extremely disappointing that the Government has now shifted the goalposts and left us off the map, imposing a new set of hurdles before we can secure funding. I will continue to fight locally and nationally to convince ministers that Aylesbury needs and deserves to be an integral part of the new Great British Rail network”.