East West Rail - Oxford to Bletchley | 2024 Update

[@Rail_Focus]

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[@1258-Eckhart]

I'm delighted to hear that the electrification of the line is once more on the cards.

[@ChappersTravels]

Great update! Just need them to build the Aylesbury Spur now

[@Rail_Focus]

Cheers. Maybe one day they'll see sense about the Aylesbury link.

[@willhemmings]

Thank you for this clear, unfussy update. Yes as a former resident of Bicester, I can understand the tensions that might have been generated over the level crossing matter, because if that is taken out, the route into town is a long way round! I think Islip is pronounced as in 'I slip', perhaps to do with vehicle adhesion problems produced by frequent flooding of the River Ray there!

[@Rail_Focus]

Glad you found it informative 🙂

[@kwlkid85]

6:42 I've always thought that Oxford to Didcot should have been considered part of EWR anyway so glad they're considering merging the services.

[@Rail_Focus]

It does make sense

[@krozjr5009]

I’d go so far as to say that, for example, I’d through-run an OXF-MKC service at the southern end towards Bristol (for example). GWR have recently reintroduced a handful of direct BRI-OXF Saturday services, and part of me wondered if that combined with an IET test over EWR indicated interest on their part for a long-distance route to Bristol.

[@scottpeacock5492]

I was in Bletchley couple weeks ago and i'm please that Network Rail is considering building the Eastern section of the station facing the bus station, its will avoid passengers walking the long round to the bus station to catch the bus.

[@Lancasterlaw1175]

Appreciate you releasing this in three rather than one long video. The graphics and slow zoom are really useful to help visualise the route. Winslow is looking awful barren. Poor pedestrian/cycle access by the looks of things too. Hopefully some sort of transit orientated mixed use development is on the cards too. The ramp in the bichester looks like the corners are too tight for a fast turn. The underpass looks like the far nicer and shorter option. Still dreaming of some sort of long term plan to extend to Whitney/Carterton

[@Rail_Focus]

There is pedestrian access onto the A413 close to Highfield Rd. I thought I had a video clip of that section, but couldn't find it.

[@Lancasterlaw1175]

@@Rail_Focus I saw, but walking along a narrow pavement beside a busy A road is a grim experience, and there is already a school past the station, so foot traffic will be intense at times

[@sparky1105]

Thanks for the update. Hopefully, they'll build the link to Aylesbury as well. It's not as if it would cost much as it was already in place prior to the line upgrade.

[@Rail_Focus]

The required permissions are in place and HS2 is doing most of the hard work so it seems senseless not to fund the Aylesbury link

[@Carlos-im3hn]

Great update on this Eastern segment of the new EWR, thank you ! The next update (2 of 3) MVL to Bedford should be very interesting (and any loop bypasses).

[@bradw8102]

I have a strong feeling 6x 2-car 196s will not be enough for the first services: several reopenings have exceeded expectations in recent years, including Okehampton and the Borders railway. Connecting the major settlements of Oxford and Milton Keynes is bound to generate more traffic than what these units can contain, so I hope they can muster more stock and/or operators running over the route soon.

[@Rail_Focus]

Hopefully there will be a mix of 4 car sets in there too, but even 4 cars may not be enough.

[@andrewhotston983]

Are EWR seriously proposing to electrify the line (with all the attendant disruption/closures) only a year or two after it opens? What a fiasco!

[@Rail_Focus]

Yup 😬

[@DavidShepheard]

It's better to electrify the line now, than to electrify the line later, when even more ridership builds up. London Overground took about a year or more to really start to get crowded. I am guessing that East West Rail will open to packed trains...of railway fans. But once the opening is out of the way a lot of people will carry on going the way they go for a while. The first passengers will be spreading word of mouth news about the line and more and more people will try East West Rail. Before you know it the trains will be packed every rush hour and there will be talk of running a train every 10 minutes.

[@jeffreyjordan2986]

Didn.t notice any electric car charging bays at Winslow station!

[@Rail_Focus]

Maybe in the ground floor section

[@Paul_707]

Chiltern were announced as the operator of the stage 1 service on 6 April 2023. It was done by a PIN being issued by DFT to amend their management contract. It’s why Chiltern have been operating test runs with their existing DMUs, pending transfer of a number of Class 196 DMUs from the West Midlands.

[@Rail_Focus]

Weird, as EWR Co. are still saying they're unable to confirm who the operator will be

[@Anonymoususer_8823]

I personally would like to see the Eastern section between Bedford and Cambridge to be built via Tempsford and Cambourne.

[@Rail_Focus]

Looks like that's still the plan

[@JT-nr2ss]

2:32 nah i think pt and active travel journeys to/from winslow will be minimal. I feel like people will still drive, even ridiculously short distances, to the new station as an inducement of there being a mass of parking provided

[@Rail_Focus]

We can but hope 😅

[@DavidNewmanDr]

I am concerned that they are planning large car parks in the city centre stations, instead of large Netherlands scale bicycle parks there and car parks outside town in parkway stations.

[@ianheath6797]

Winslow is too far from Buckingham for most people to cycle. The cycle path is shared with pedestrians and is quite narrow - a half hearted affair. No doubt the motorist will be fleeced by the Council who will see the car park as a revenue source together with draconian fines for infringements enforced by cctv. Shoplifters fare better. It is so lovely living in this country today.

[@robertwalsh1724]

Thanks!

[@Rail_Focus]

Thank you 🙂

[@cameronallan5624]

FYI when discussing Oxford station the visual is of Cambridge South station.

[@Rail_Focus]

Ooops 😬

[@Alan-ln3ls]

'Put measures in place…' probably means creating a residents parking zone, and charging the residents for permits to park there.

[@DavidShepheard]

That's how things have been done where I live. We have one hour during weekdays, where anyone parking in my town to ride the trains into London comes back to a parking ticket. When you have visitors, they need to come after that hour (or come in the morning and leave before that hour). People like district nurses would need a special permit that allows them to park anywhere they need to in the county.

[@JCspotting]

Yeahhh boiiii EWR post!

[@richardchadwick4028]

Ive travelled on the Didcot to Oxford railway for 25 years, the stopping services are often cancelled....it needs 4 tracks, and electrification...

[@SirKenchalot]

Another great video and I'm really looking forward to the next 2. How is it that the operator has not yet been announced? Aren't Chiltern Trains already short of a few DMUs to run their existing services? It's a bit surprising they can find others for this but not their commuter services.

[@Rail_Focus]

Thank you. I imagine the operator announcement is probably down to all kinds of legal reasons. But EWR Co. has not been able to say publicly who will operate the service, even though it seems widely well known that it will be Chiltern. It sounds like Chiltern will be taking on some more Class 68s and ex TPE Mk5 carriages to help with the shortage.

[@SirKenchalot]

@@Rail_Focus That's good that those locos may get used again though wouldn't they be more appropriate for the EWR with long distances between stations and higher speeds than the 196s are designed for?

[@Rail_Focus]

EWR maximum speed will be 100mph, so the 196s should be more than sufficient. By the time it reaches Cambridge EWR will hopefully have new trains.

[@andrewhotston983]

Yes, it's hard to believe that the line's pretty much ready for traffic and yet they still haven't got the trains sorted (which means that staff training is being delayed). I despair of our rail industry.

[@wharpblast264]

Odd that electrification of EWR is being considered but not the much more highly used Chiltern Main line.

[@DavidNewmanDr]

Chiltern now say they want discontinuous electrification with battery trains.

[@Rail_Focus]

I wonder if they've twigged that it has the potential to be a strategic freight corridor. Plus easier to electrify a route which will be upgraded and using new sections of railway.

[@wharpblast264]

@@Rail_Focus Just wondered, any idea what proportion of freight trains are electric loco hauled ? Also, could they operate on discontinuous electrification lines as I guess there is a limit on the weight a battery powered loco could haul ?

[@andrewhotston983]

West Midland can certainly spare some trains, because they're always cancelling services on my local line due to staff shortages.

[@CA_I]

They are hopeless, and have been for years be it West Midlands Trains or their predecessors.

[@Andrewjg_89]

So apparently West Midlands Railway Class 196 Civity are to be hired for the East-West Rail link Oxford-Milton Keynes Central service and to extend to Bedford that London Northwestern Railway are using the Class 150 DMUs cascaded from Northern.

[@Dinoteddi]

I'd hope they would electrify Didcot - Oxford if they were going to put Wires up on EWR

[@Rail_Focus]

It would seem mad not to electrify such a short section which would have big benefits

[@s125ish]

It looks like they started to do that and gave up

[@lordgemini2376]

I think they will electrify that bit once all the work going on in and around Oxford Station is complete!

[@Guted77]

Nice video! Do you have any plans to cover the Mid Cornwall Metro at all? thanks

[@Rail_Focus]

Thank you. The metro hasn't been on my radar to be honest. Is it going ahead?

[@andrewhotston983]

​@@Rail_FocusNewquay station has just regained a second platform as part of the project.

[@QALibrary]

7:48 Bletchley Station did have an extra exit straight to the bus interchange but it was blocked off a long time ago due to antisocial things that were going on - it is being looked at again esp with the new council and government in charge.

[@Rail_Focus]

Reopening the eastern entrance would seem like a no brainer to me. But sounds like it'd have to be upgraded with security measures.

[@derloos]

Electrification ftw!!

[@Sam_Green____4114]

Where is the four track section ? Is it where the line branches off at Fenny Stratford to join the WCML ?

[@Rail_Focus]

4 track? Not sure

[@1258-Eckhart]

You mean the 900 m 3-track section between Winslow and Bicester.

[@rugbyrailhub]

Do you think LNWR will continue to operate the marston vale line as ive seen a lnwr 150 go northbound past rugby

[@Rail_Focus]

For the time being, at least until 2030 I imagine

[@rugbyrailhub]

@ Ah alright

[@rugbyrailhub]

thanks for the response ive been following this series of videos for a while

[@tucker9162]

We were testing the GSM-R network with that GWR Class 800

[@Rail_Focus]

So it wasn't anything to do with checking if EWR was a viable diversionary route?

[@tucker9162]

Could have been as well. There was a few from GWR on the train. We also had a VIP manager who lived in Winslow. We had to stop there for a photo op.

[@EdgyNumber1]

Discontinuous Electrification is ridiculous, preventing high capacity freight services.

[@Rail_Focus]

Certainly not ideal

[@macjim]

Brutalist architecture comes to mind… ugly 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@TheHoveHeretic]

Does 'industrial estate' qualify as 'architecture'? There's plenty of modern architecture I love, but TBH I'm not convinced the erection at Winslow is any improvement on those dire CLASP lash-ups from the darkest days of BR.

[@AlexanderWright1]

RIP link to Aylesbury. 😞

[@Rail_Focus]

The frustrating thing is "planning" permission has been granted and HS2 are doing most of the hard word

[@TheHoveHeretic]

To paraphrase Capt.Thos. Woolf of Woody Bay, "Perchance it is not dead, but waiteth for some politician to grow a pair" .

[@chrisbailiss7309]

It's a terrible decision given the growth of/around Aylesbury in recent years and future.

[@hpengwyn]

Eye-slip

[@Rail_Focus]

Though I was pronouncing wrong as I was saying it 😶

[@darynvoss7883]

The dream is that one day this will connect with HSR

[@Rail_Focus]

Maybe connect with Aylesbury, but unlikely to connect with HS2

[@DavidShepheard]

Nice video! It's about time the new government looked into adding back the electrification to East West Rail. It was a mistake for it to be removed. Overhead electrification really does need to be the default option on new railways. Your comment about trains using East West Rail as a diversionary route highlights the fact that trains headed into London, that get diverted this way, might benefit from the electrification too. So the actual "cost vs benefit" analysis should not just be about the "anticipated revenue of passenger trains" - it should take into account all the other options that East West Rail unllocks for passenger and freight train movements.

[@radicallyrethinkingrailwaysina]

Was the electrification to be third rail or overhead?

[@Sam_Green____4114]

I thought they had dropped the Bedford - Cambridge section for being too expensive !

[@Rail_Focus]

Nope, Labour have committed to funding the full route. It's not too expensive.

[@clivewheeler2597]

Where is the connection for Northampton in golden triangle 😡😡😡

[@Rail_Focus]

Not sure if there would be capacity to extend passenger services north. But connectivity will be improved with Northampton able to board EWR services at MK or Bletchley

[@lordgemini2376]

@@Rail_Focus Once HS2 is phase 1 is open, the EWR services should be extended to Northampton

[@peter59fg]

Quelle belle voie monotone de robot !

[@Rail_Focus]

Thanks for the encouragement. Captions work if you prefer 🤷

[@rachelcarre9468]

As a resident of Bicester and a fan of EWR concept, I am pleased that the railway is coming because it will provide many opportunities for our town. However EWR having been discussing replacing the level crossing with a bridge for over a decade with four consultations and multiple engagements with MPs, councillors and community bodies. Suddenly they have chosen the easy option and will sever our town into two halves, it will have a great impact on many peoples lives. The alternative routes they propose are both long, circuitous and congested making the CO2 impact much worse. One of them passes through an area of illegal air pollution due to road traffic. A solution is possible but it will cost. EWR have proven they have the budget, just look at the scale of the project they are proposing for Bedford. In Bicester they attempting to do it on the cheap and are ignoring the needs of businesses and residents. If you would like to come to Bicester, I’d be happy to show you the problem on the ground and the alternatives. Thank you for your excellent content.

[@Rail_Focus]

I got caught in traffic in the early afternoon trying to park in Sainsbury's when I went to the drop in. So I do feel resident's frustrations. It's difficult to see how existing roads or junctions could be improved to aid flow.

[@TheHoveHeretic]

Is there scope for underpassing the reinstated line? I ask as a similar situation pertains in Uckfield, should common sense break out and the missing 8 miles to Lewes be restored, with the added complication of a high water table, as the rail formation follows the lowest point of the valley of the River Uck (one for the Lynton & Barnstaple's restorationists, immediately before they admit there are no further three letter English rivers after which to name an expanded loco fleet!). The flip side, retaining a level crossing, can be just as destructive. That at Portslade (Sussex) regularly turns Boundary Road, the main shopping thoroughfare, into a real life game of frogger, in addition to snarling up anything up to five road intersections, including those with two arterial A roads.