The Department for Transport created the East West Railway Company (EWR Co) in 2017 to develop plans for a new railway between Oxford and Cambridge. EWR Co is responsible for developing, designing and delivering the new railway, known as East West Rail.
The new railway would open up new journeys, cut travel times, ease congestion on local roads and bring more jobs within reach of people living locally. The Oxford to Cambridge region is viewed as an economic artery that would support the UK as a global leader in life sciences, technology and innovation, with the potential to create jobs, drive growth and attract investment for the country, further unlocking the area’s potential and enabling sustainable growth.
The infrastructure proposals for East West Rail comprise a new rail link that would connect communities between Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge. The proposals include the construction of a new railway between Bedford and Cambridge and associated works to upgrade the existing railway between Oxford and Bedford.
This Environmental Update website has been prepared to inform non-statutory consultation on the proposals for the project. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the project is underway and the Environmental Update provides the initial environmental information based on the work carried out to date. The EUR has been prepared both as a website and as a PDF report which can be accessed below.
Both formats provide the same information, although the website includes additional functions that allow you to read about the Project and its impacts, with maps alongside that highlight the features referenced in the text. The maps include a key function in the bottom left that tells you what the different symbols and colours represent; you can switch this on and off as you need.
The Environmental Update has been prepared to inform the public and other stakeholders about how environmental considerations have been, and will continue to be, reflected in the evolving design of the proposals. The Environmental Update highlights the key sensitivities and potential environmental impacts of the project, as well as opportunities for mitigating these impacts and effects.
