EWR funding and governance structure to be finalised

Rob Brighouse, interim chairman of the East West Railway Company, revealed that a wide range of Design, Build, Finance and Maintain (DBFM) agreements are being considered before the final funding and governance structure of the company is announced.

Brighouse confirmed to RAIL that he is in dialogue with potential third party investors, with several possible DBFM models that could be applied. He has not ruled anything out, but stressed that no final decision had been made.

For example, the infrastructure could be owned by an institutional investor and operated as a concession or on an open access basis (like High Speed 1). Alternatively, other models might result in investors operating services themselves or subcontracting different elements such as maintenance.

“The first thing we did was to get a good grip on the western section so that we don’t disrupt the existing alliance that is delivering it,” Brighouse told RAIL.

“My big task now is to build my team and focus on the programme and costs for the whole route, and we have already taken a lot of cost and slippage out of that programme.

“We’re looking at a radically different way of delivering the central section and several types of DBFM models. We are engaging with the market and I will be able to say more in due course.”

Brighouse said that more work was also needed before a route determination can be made for the line’s central section between Bedford and Cambridge. This includes the Government’s highlevel vision to stimulate economic growth in the region, published alongside the Autumn Budget, to which stakeholders have been asked to respond over the next 12 months in order to develop a more detailed strategy.

Government has also commissioned Network Rail to report separately on how future rail growth can be supported in both Cambridgeshire and Oxfordshire, and has committed to developing an Expressway of high-quality roads between the two counties.

Brighouse added: “More work needs to be done across government. We have to look at the Expressway and a number of factors to make sure we optimise the route.

“We are working very closely with local representatives, to make sure we build a railway that works for the passengers and the communities it will serve.”