Govt urged to include Northampton in East West Rail plans
West Northamptonshire Council has written to the transport secretary in the latest bid to include Northampton in passenger service plans for East West Rail.
The £6bn project to upgrade rail links between Oxford and Cambridge takes in Bicester, Bletchley, Milton Keynes and Bedford – but current plans means the county town is set to miss out on the project’s estimated £6.7bn per year economic benefit.
Now, council leader Mark Arnull has added the council’s voice to cross-party calls for Northampton to benefit fully from the major national infrastructure project.
In a letter penned to Heidi Alexander this week, he highlighted how improved passenger connectivity would not only support access to the new resort but also unlock wider economic opportunities.
These include stronger links to employment hubs in Milton Keynes, Bedfordshire and Oxford, enhanced connectivity to Luton Airport, and a strengthened role for Northampton within the Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor.
“Northampton already has the infrastructure in place, with freight trains running on this route, yet our residents are currently excluded from using it. That simply cannot be right,” he said.
“The arrival of the Universal UK resort near Bedford makes this even more urgent. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to connect our communities to jobs, investment and growth, and we must not be left behind.
“We are calling on the government to reconsider this position, work with us and our regional partners, and ensure Northampton is fully included in the long-term passenger vision for East West Rail.”
The authority says it is already working to maximise the benefits of East West Rail through its Rail Action Plan and regional collaboration with partners including England’s Economic Heartland.
However, it has stressed that these ambitions depend on Northampton being formally included in the passenger network.
The letter formally calls on the Department for Transport to reconsider Northampton’s exclusion, engage directly with the council before final decisions are taken, and work collaboratively with local MPs and regional stakeholders to secure a solution.
Earlier this week, in an update to a House of Commons transport select committee, Alexander confirmed that there was still no start date in place for services on East West Rail.
In March last year, Chiltern Railways was announced as the operator for the first stage of East West Rail between Oxford and Milton Keynes, which was completed in 2024. But ongoing issues, including an unconfirmed dispute with rail unions over staffing levels on the line, mean services are not yet running.
The government is due to publish a discussion paper on the long term future of rail services this summer.
They need a train station at Silverstone or Towcester… millions of people go to Silverstone and watch races. But I live in whittlebury. There is no trains or any buses into here and there are only 5 buses a day through Silverstone to Brackley. It means I’m cut off from family.
Silverstone has been blighted by HS2 plans for years and local residents would benefit from having a station to thank for the years of panic. Silverstone parkway? Maybe Towcester or somewhere near the HS2 tunnel before Middleton Cheney would be convenient for us locals working this area
Whittlebury hall has over 420 staff members on its estate. It’s disastrous for this area to be unserved by public transport as it limits tourism to the area
By Shane Ruddock