Network Rail: turn ‘Varsity’ route into East West Main Line

Network Rail has made the case for expanding the current East West Rail project into a full East West Main Line, integrated into the rest of the network.

In a strategic statement, NR argues for consideration of aspects such as electrification, provision for adoption of European Train Control System (ETCS) signalling, and allowing for much wider service provision whereby passenger trains could reach the likes of Cardiff, Southampton, Northampton,

Peterborough and Ipswich.

That would significantly expand the scope beyond the current project, which is largely limited to re-creating the Oxford-Cambridge ‘Varsity Line’ through a mixture of new and upgraded railway.

The £1.1 billion EWR is due to begin services between Oxford and Milton Keynes in 2025, followed by their extension as far as Bedford. Route options covering five alternatives for the final stage, to Cambridge, went out for consultation during 2021.

As currently remitted by the Department for Transport, the new railway will provide services between Oxford, Cambridge, Aylesbury and Milton Keynes.

However, NR says its statement outlines a vision “aimed at gaining the most from the investment made in the new infrastructure and providing a railway that delivers for passengers and freight users into the future”.

The East West Rail Strategic

Statement argues that the next steps should include analysis of market flows, assessment of potential modal shift, and identification of capacity and performance constraints, as well as interventions needed on the existing network to accommodate expanded service provision.

It contends that infrastructure changes should not preclude the potential to serve additional locations.

See Analysis, pages 34-35..