East West CGI shows how new Tempsford station will look
East West Rail has released CGI images and fly-through animations of design proposals - and key updates for the plans
Key points include
Proposals to connect Tempsford to be brought forward by 5 years
Up to 5 EWR trains an hour for the entire route to meet demand for Universal Resort
A rebuilt Bedford station, including new western entrance, more platforms and public plaza
As part of the latest consultation by East West Railway Company (EWR Co) – unveiled today (Tuesday) – CGI and fly-through animations of the design proposals for Tempsford, Bedford, and the Marston Vale Line have been released.
Key design updates include an accelerated construction programme to deliver up to five trains an hour, with the proposals also taking into account the plans for Universal Resort with a station at Stewartby.
The latest details are part of East West’s last route-wide consultation on the project, which will connect Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge before a Development Consent Order (DCO) application to build the railway is submitted in 2027.
As a result, EWR is now proposed to be built in new delivery phases with new stations and sections of the railway opening as soon as they are ready, rather than waiting for the whole route to be completed.
It will also align with getting high-capacity frequent services to the new Universal Resort earlier than previously anticipated.
Four trains per hour is now proposed across the whole route, with an additional fifth train running at peak times or potentially all day, if required.
The consultation will run for eight weeks from today (April 14) to June 9 and feedback will be taken into account as designs for the railway are finalised ready for the submission of a Development Consent Order in 2027.
For more info, visit here, contact EWR Co’s helpdesk at [email protected] or call 0330 134 0067.
Feedback must be received by 11.59pm on June 9.
Latest proposals
Tempsford
Plans to connect the proposed new town of Tempsford to the rail network will be brought forward five years earlier than originally planned.
Construction of a new station at Tempsford would start by 2030, giving Tempsford access to north-south services on the East Coast Main Line.
EWR platforms would follow in the mid to late 2030s. East West would support increased train capacity from the west to Milton Keynes, where Universal plan to run a coach shuttle service to the new resort when it opens.
Once everything is up and running, Tempsford will offer direct east-west links to Oxford, Bedford and Cambridge, as well as services to Peterborough and London.
Tempsford station would be located on land to the east of Little Barford Road, about a mile north of Tempsford village. Extending the station to include a southern entrance is now proposed to provide improved access on both sides of the A421 and support a phased opening. There would be north-south connectivity via a new underpass beneath the new A421, providing active travel and bus routes to and from the station.
The new station in Bedford is being brought forward. There’ll be four trains an hour between Oxford and Bedford by the mid-2030s. Remodelling the station and eastern entrance to create a new accessible civic plaza is proposed.
A new western entrance is planned for the station to improve access for residents in the Queen’s Park area, with this western entrance connecting to a new relocated multi-storey car park on Ford End Road via an upgraded underpass.
This new entrance would include a new active travel hub.
A new platform for fast trains between London St Pancras and Sheffield is proposed, which would allow fast trains to stop at Bedford. The inclusion of this platform would keep the station open as much as possible during construction and would reduce the construction programme by over two years.
Bedford St John’s
An assessment is under way into how the railway could best integrate with the emerging Bedford Hospital masterplan.
The existing single-platform station at Bedford St John’s would be demolished and replaced with a new two-platform station 130 metres to the north-west, bringing it closer to Bedford Hospital.
The new Bedford St John’s station concourse would be elevated above the railway with access provided via passenger lifts and a pedestrian footbridge. This footbridge would be accessible to people without train tickets.
A new pedestrian crossing on Britannia Road is proposed which would create a direct gateway into King’s Place and towards the station entrance.
Improvements on the Marston Vale Line will also be accelerated. These upgrades will allow four trains an hour to run between Oxford and Stewartby by the early 2030s.
Universal will start with shuttle buses from Milton Keynes, but by fast tracking this part of the project, EWR trains can serve the park within its first few years.
Proposals to consolidate the current nine outdated stations into four modern stations – at Woburn Sands, Ridgmont, Lidlington and Stewartby – support the planned provision of thousands of new homes across the region as well as maximising the new Universal resort.
The new stations would be built ahead of the full-completion of the railway.
The new Marston Vale Line stations will all have passenger car parking, an active travel hub with bicycle storage as well as drop-off and pick-up, taxi and bus facilities.
Electrification
Hybrid electric/battery-equipped trains are planned to operate along the railway, including along the Marston Vale Line from Bletchley to Bedford, and from Bedford through to Tempsford.
Full service
The full end-to-end service with up to five trains an hour running all the way from Oxford to Cambridge via Bedford will be operational by the mid to late 2030s.
David Hughes, East West’s CEO, said: “These updated proposals mark a major step forward for East West Rail to help ensure communities see the benefits of the project sooner as we finalise the design.”
Gidon Freeman, vice-president, external affairs, Universal Destinations and Experiences, said: “One of the reasons we selected our site for a new entertainment resort complex featuring a world class theme park is its central location and excellent transport links. East West Rail can further improve that connectivity – its proposed station by Universal would enhance guest and team member arrival with a new link to our resort from across the Ox-Cam corridor.”