Aylesbury could benefit from major East of England railway investment

The government announced £760 million funding to create a new rail line between Oxford, Milton Keynes and Bletchley.

The project due to be finished by 2025, is expected to create 1,500 jobs and could inject an estimated £1.1 billion into the local economy.

Councillor Sue Clark, Chair of the East West Rail Consortium, said: “We welcome the Government’s continued commitment to delivering East West Rail. Today’s announcement means that in just a few years’ time, we will see the first East West Rail services from Oxford to Bletchley and Milton Keynes – a milestone worth celebrating.

“We look forward to having confirmation that Milton Keynes-Aylesbury and Bletchley-Bedford will also be delivered as soon as possible. While each section brings its own benefits to the communities it serves, East West Rail’s full transformational potential will only be realised if it is delivered in full.

“We will continue to press the case for the investment in these two sections by working with the East West Railway Company to ensure that their proposals meet the requirements of users and communities for the decades to come. And we will continue to press the Government for an early decision on the investment that will allow those sections to be delivered as soon as possible.”

These plans when completed, will provide better connectivity along the Oxford-Cambridge arc and shorten journey times between routes outside of London.

A spokesperson for East West Rail said: "We continue to explore options on how to connect Aylesbury with our colleagues in the Department for Transport and Network Rail. The original plans would not have provided local communities with a reliable service, and this section requires more investment than originally planned. There is further work to do to demonstrate to Government that this connection represents the best value for money for taxpayers."