In an adjournment debate held on Tuesday 15 November, Rail Minister Theresa Villiers paid tribute to the work of the East-West Rail consortium in presenting the case to restore rail services linking Reading, Didcot, Oxford, Bicester, Aylesbury, Milton Keynes and Bedford.  It followed the announcement by Iain Stewart MP (Milton Keynes South) of the setting up of an All Party Parliamentary Group to help with the campaign.

The first meeting of an All Party Group for East West Rail will be a reception for the many  private sector business leaders and organisations from Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and beyond who believe the project, which has a very strong case for Government approval - even in a time of national financial constraint.

What is East-West Rail?

The East-West Rail project will re-establish a strategic railway linking Reading, Oxford and Aylesbury with Milton Keynes and Bedford providing a major boost for businesses and residents alike.

In addition to supporting Oxford's role as a major centre of economic growth, the improved connections provided by East-West rail will support economic growth in the Science Vale and Bicester areas. And by providing an attractive alternative means of travel, the project will help manage pressure on the A34 corridor through the county. Already recent investment in the capacity of the rail corridor through Oxfordshire is seeing more freight being moved by rail.

Oxfordshire County Council, a leading member of the East-West Rail Consortium, is working with local MPs to push for the project to be included in the Government's 2014-19 railway investment programme. Work on shaping this programme is now underway, leading up to the publication of the Government's High Level Output Specification in July 2012.

Recent boosts for the East-West Rail case include:

• An economic assessment of the project reinforcing the benefits of the project to the local economy. This builds upon work commissioned by the East-West Rail Consortium that demonstrated an outstanding business case for the project.
• Continued support amongst the business community via the Local Enterprise Partnerships; with Oxfordshire's Local Enterprise Partnership emphasising the importance of the scheme as part of the wider rail network supporting economic growth.

Positive feeling

Councillor David Robertson, the Deputy Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: "I will be at Parliament on November 23 to make sure Oxfordshire's determination to see this project succeed is given due prominence.

"There is such a positive feeling across a wide range of organisations - both geographically and in terms of both private and public sector speaking with the same voice.

"There is an absolutely overwhelming feeling that East-West Rail will bring enormous benefits to Oxfordshire, our neighbouring areas and further afield. This is a scheme of national significance. The rail industry sees its strategic significance, the business community sees it, as does the public sector, including Oxfordshire County Council.

"We want Government to recognise its strategic significance and commit to working with us to deliver this valuable piece of infrastructure - and the event on November 23 will be a key moment in that process.

"We need and want to be a firm part of the Government's plans for the five years following 2014/15 - but decisions on who will make it on to those plans will be taken over the course of the next 12 months, so all of us will be hammering the point home about the strength of the case for East-West Rail.