Prioritise public services over an unproven railway line
Joint letter to Rachel Reeves
With three other organisations, we’ve sent a letter to Rachel Reeves, Chancellor of the Exchequer, highlighting problems with the two remaining segments of East West Rail.
The two segments, called connection stages (CS), are are estimated to cost £6.6 billion.
CS2 is an upgrade of the line between Bletchley and Bedford, also called the Marston Vale Line.
CS3 is a new line connecting Bedford and Cambridge.
We call out the questionable economic benefits and the likely environmental damage of these connection stages and suggest instead public services where the money is urgently needed now.
CS1 is largely completed. It included the upgrade of the existing railway line from Oxford to Bicester.