Train expert convinced East West Rail's Aylesbury spur will be constructed

Phil Marsh, who has operated in the rail industry for over 50 years, did not put a timeline on when he was expecting the spur to be included, but was adamant that the rail line between Aylesbury and Milton Keynes will happen.

The Aylesbury spur was excluded from plans released by the Government in May, 2023, only appearing as an optional route on the diagrams released to the public.

At the time, Government officials cited commercial concerns as the reason Aylesbury was left off the first phase of the project.

But in an interview with Councillor Diana Blamires, on 3Bs Radio, Mr Marsh said: “The Aylesbury spur, that is going to be built, a little birdie told me that.”

He was outlining the reasons for Aylesbury’s exclusion from phase one in the interview with the Buckingham-based volunteer station. Mr Marsh added that the Aylesbury spur was sacrificed when £250 million was cut from the overall budget for the scheme, linking Oxford and Cambridge.

In recent weeks, Aylesbury’s town council leader, Councillor Richard Lloyd, has written to the Government on behalf of the authority outlining why the spur would bring vital benefits to the county town. Also, Aylesbury’s MP Laura Kyrke-Smith has backed plans to add the spur, stating it would “bring great economic and social benefit to Aylesbury”.

During the interview, which can be streamed online here, Councillor Blamires noted that Bletchley and Buckingham MP, Callum Anderson, sounded optimistic when quizzed on whether the Aylesbury spur was likely to be constructed.

In nearby Milton Keynes, Network Rail recently celebrated the first journey completed on the East West Rail route between Oxford and Milton Keynes, which will stop at Bicester and Bletchley.

Currently it is hoped that the new train route will be operational and transporting passengers in 2025.

Government data released last month suggested that the project will boost the Oxford-Cambridge economy by £6.7 billion per year by 2050.

Also, the Government has opened a consultation regarding the project, that is open to residents that will be served by the billion-pound rail link.