East West Rail: Bedford to Cambridge

Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi Excerpts

Tuesday 13th June 2023 Westminster Hall

[Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Slough) (Lab)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Mark. I extend my gratitude to the hon. Member for North East Bedfordshire (Richard Fuller) for securing this important debate. It is clear that the debate has allowed Members from both sides to diligently voice their concerns on behalf of their constituents, and I commend their passion in ensuring that the voices of local people are heard. I hope the Minister has been listening intently and will address the questions posed to him clearly and transparently.

Despite being the Member for Slough, I am not stranger to Cambridge or Oxford, having studied at both universities, and I appreciate the importance of joining these two great cities by rail. More recently, I have had the pleasure of visiting Winslow station. I have also spoken to East West Rail in Milton Keynes, and visited some excellent companies in Milton Keynes that are local to this project, including on the Aylesbury spur, which would no doubt enhance the Bedford to Cambridge connection. Indeed, the line runs through some of the most productive and fastest growing towns and cities. The area supports over 2 million jobs and adds over £110 billion to the economy every year.

As shadow Rail Minister, my support for better rail connections should come as no surprise. As my hon. Friend the Member for Cambridge (Daniel Zeichner) eloquently explained, connecting our great towns and cities through rail links has been proven time and again to provide more opportunities, bolster local economies, unite communities and address the pressing climate crisis. I will always be an advocate for investing in our rail network to make it work for passengers, local communities and the rail industry. That is why it is so important to address the concerns laid out today in order to progress with the project in a way that benefits local people, businesses and passengers.

Putting it plainly, we should not have such limited public transport along this route. Currently, travel from Bedford to Cambridge is restricted to an hour and a half bus service. With the new connection, that is cut to a mere 35 minutes. Quicker journey times, emissions slashed by up to 76% and pressure taken off local roads: the benefits of rail are clear. Those within commuting distance will be increased, with a wider pool of talent for businesses and universities, increasing jobs and opportunities. No wonder, as my hon. Friend the Member for Cambridge again explained to us eloquently, that the top 50 employers in Cambridge have written to the Government in support of the scheme. The aim of the project—to deliver people a better and more convenient way to travel locally—must be maintained alongside local input, consultation and co-operation, not without it.

As hon. Members have outlined, the line covers an area that is going through a great deal of change and growth. This period of flux will undoubtedly mean that significant decisions will be made on infrastructure. Increasing the number of services to meet the existing and growing demand in the region is vital. Failure to provide Government funding to ensure that these needs are met is simply unacceptable. Across our country we have seen people struggle to get GP appointments, a place at their local school or on to the property ladder, and that is exacerbated in areas of high growth and development, as has been highlighted by hon. Members today. That is why progress on the project should be completed alongside public consultation, with local authorities and local people ensuring that decisions are made to benefit the communities who live in those areas.

I feel like a broken record when I say that progress on the project has been characteristically slow, as with countless other rail projects on this Government’s watch that we have debated in the main Chamber and in Westminster Hall. Just last year, the project was rated as “red” by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority’s delivery confidence assessment, which noted that the later stages of the project “appear unachievable”.

The National Infrastructure Commission, no less, recently commented:

“The region presents a significant growth opportunity for the UK but this will be missed if long term certainty is not provided.”

It seems that the Government are lagging behind in all areas. We must build a network for the future, but just 2.2 km of electrified track was added to our rail network last year, while other European nations and others around the world have been full steam ahead—no pun intended—on full electrification. Why has the Minister not insisted on full electrification for the new route, as has been highlighted by my hon. Friends the Members for Bedford (Mohammad Yasin) and for Cambridge, and others? What considerations has he made of the use of trains that are not diesel-only?

As with much of our railway, the Government’s lack of leadership and dithering has impacted progress. The impact of sky-high inflation on building costs, and ongoing Government uncertainty, have not been unique factors in the scheme. Although I am grateful for the Department’s latest update, I am sure the Minister can see that concerns remain. Most notably, perhaps, is the proposed demolition of homes in the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Bedford, who is a persistently strong champion and voice for his constituents. The Minister should directly address those concerns and meet my hon. Friend to discuss next steps. This is clearly devastating for the affected communities, as in the constituencies of the hon. Members for South Cambridgeshire (Anthony Browne) and for North East Bedfordshire.

An updated formal business case should also be published. It is simply unacceptable that we are progressing without that update. Clear and effective consultation is clearly the best way forward. The intentions of the project have always been to serve the local community better, so we must ensure that the final project achieves that. I assure hon. Members on both sides of the House that I will personally raise these matters directly with the chief executive of EWR in my planned meeting with her.

EWR must have direct engagement with affected residents to provide all the support that will be needed through the process, particularly regarding compensation and the sale of nearby homes. Will the Minister confirm what action has been taken and what co-ordination there will be with local representatives—Members of Parliament or councillors and authorities—following the recent announcement? Delivering rail projects with local communities’ needs at the very heart should be second nature to a Government in power for 13 years, but sadly they are more chaotic than ever.

We in the region will now have inflicted on us another by-election in which constituents will no doubt deliver a resounding message as to why they will not reward failure. Those that lose out most from Government incompetence are ordinary working people, so I hope the Rail Minister will use this opportunity to address the concerns laid out today. With our railways readying to go full steam ahead, we can ill afford to renege on further infrastructure promises. The people of the north have been betrayed. We cannot allow the people of Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to be betrayed. We cannot allow passengers to be let down once again.

[The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Huw Merriman)]

It is a pleasure, Sir Mark, to serve under your chairmanship this afternoon. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Richard Fuller) for securing this important debate on East West Rail from Bedford to Cambridge. I have listened carefully to his representations. As everyone in the debate has said, he makes excellent points and sets us a challenge. I am keen to work with him to address those points.

I have noted the six or seven points he raised. I will go through some this afternoon, but I will write to him on all of them. I want to work with him to ensure the project is delivered in a way that maximises benefits for members of his constituency and the country as a whole. I am well aware that, when it comes to building new railways, some are very much in favour because they benefit directly or indirectly from the delivery of that new railway. We will always call for infrastructure to be delivered before housing. This is an opportunity where that can be delivered.

Of course, there are those whose lives are directly impacted and blighted by railways, who suffer as a result of the build. I have every sympathy with them, and I am keen to work with my hon. Friend and other hon. Members to minimise that and to give as much information, clarity and frankness in the process as we can. I say that as someone whose family lives in Buckingham and is well aware of the impact of HS2. “I get it,” is what I want to say this afternoon.

Let me speak a little about the project and then go into detail as I go along. The East West Rail project will improve the UK economy, supporting ambitions for the Oxford to Cambridge region, to add £103 billion extra gross value added by 2050, securing the UK’s future as a world leader in science and technology. East West Rail will improve connectivity and ensure growth is spread across the region as a whole. The route update announcement, which was mentioned, was laid before us on 26 May, and set out the preferred route alignment between Bedford and Cambridge. That would serve new stations at Tempsford and Cambourne, and approach Cambridge from the south, enabling services to call at the new Cambridge South station and to serve the world-leading biomedical campus. As my hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Anthony Browne) mentioned, I was at the site a couple of weeks ago. It is absolutely fantastic; people are incredibly excited about what this railway will deliver through not just better connectivity but allowing more jobs to flow to the campus, enabling it to succeed and to take on the world’s finest. I am very excited to have been able to announce the funding.

The route update announcement is a milestone that reaffirms the Government’s commitment to the project, along with funding of £1.3 billion to deliver the first connection stage of East West Rail between Bicester and Bletchley. It is part of our national commitment to unlock transformative growth within the globally renowned Oxford-Cambridge hub of science, research and technology. It will transform connectivity for residents and businesses in addition to supporting economic growth and local housing plans. Again, I acknowledge the challenge that housing can deliver in that particular part of the country. The support from Cambridge University, biopharmaceutical companies such as AstraZeneca, Oxford University science park and local enterprise partnerships across the route demonstrates the confidence that key stakeholders and businesses have in the benefits of East West Rail.

With every project at this scale, important decisions must be made to optimise and maximise the benefits it can provide. The proposal to build new stations at Tempsford and Cambourne will enable communities to grow, provide opportunities to improve biodiversity and give people increasing access to green spaces, significantly outweighing the benefits that a St Neots station could provide. As I have stated, I recognise that the proposals will have an impact on some homes and businesses. In particular, I understand the concerns of residents immediately to the north of Bedford station.

The hon. Member for Bedford (Mohammad Yasin) mentioned a six-track rather than a four-track proposal. That is being put in place to regulate the disruptive performance on the existing Midland main line, as well as to mitigate congestion and provide options for future growth. It is an example of where we are building for the future, not just through East West Rail, but to deal with a spot of disruption that already exists. By going to the six-track proposal, we will deliver better infrastructure and a better service on both of those lines, though I do recognise that it has more of an impact on residents.

For local residents who are affected, East West Rail Company has launched a need to sell scheme, designed to support residents who have a compelling need to sell their property but are unable to do so other than at a substantially lower value because of the railway. On the point made by the hon. Member for Slough (Mr Dhesi) that I should meet the hon. Member for Bedford, I did that very recently. We discussed the case of one of his constituents and were able to talk about a solution. I continue to make myself available to all hon. Members on behalf of their constituents who are impacted.

East West Rail Company has also proposed to provide a new relocated station building at Bedford Midland, which will offer opportunities for local authorities to partner with East West Rail to deliver a destination station, if supported by third-party funding. Alongside that, the existing Bedford St Johns station will be relocated so that it is closer to Bedford Hospital, providing better connectivity for patients, hospital staff and visitors. Proposals for East West Rail will also mean a significant investment in the Marston Vale line between Bletchley and Bedford to provide a step change in the frequency of services.

As the House and my hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire will know, East West Rail Company is holding public information events to answer the questions that have been raised by Members on behalf of their constituents. It is also meeting with stakeholders along the line of route. I will take some of the questions that have been posed, particularly by my hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire about the design stage, and get responses to them.

A statutory consultation is planned for the first half of next year, in which the next stage of technical and operational design proposals will be presented alongside plans to mitigate any associated environmental impacts. East West Rail Company has committed to delivering a 10% biodiversity net gain across the entire project, and traction options such as full electrification along the whole line of route are currently being reviewed.

Phase 1, which goes from Oxford over to Bletchley, is a mix of an existing line and one that once was a railway line. Phase 2, from Bletchley to Bedford, is an existing line. In that sense, electrification is a more difficult challenge, because bridges and other infrastructure are already in place and would have to be significantly changed. Where we have built new bridges and infrastructure, we have done so with electrification for the future in mind, so there is that pathway available to it. Of course, we are looking toward hybrid options in future as far as trains are concerned, which would enable a better, decarbonised line of route. I know all hon. Members have mentioned that point.

The business case was also referenced. As is standard for a project of this size, a final business case will be put forward once planning consent is secured. Before then, a development consent order application will be prepared in accordance with the Planning Act 2008. East West Rail demonstrates the Government’s commitment to supporting growth and improving connectivity for people and business across the Oxford and Cambridge region.

Let me come to some of the points that were raised—my hon. Friends worked hard to raise as many as they could. The first question was, will I walk the line of route? I am not sure whether that is an invitation to walk the entire line of route or selected parts of it, but I am certainly able to say yes to the former—sorry, I should say the latter. I should get that right for Hansard. Yes, I will walk parts of the line of route so that my hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire can show me the areas that are impacted. Indeed, we did something similar when we looked at the options of coming into Cambridge from the north or going from Cambridge to the south, and I will of course do that in my hon. Friend’s constituency.

My hon. Friend mentioned the new Mayor, Tom Wootton. I met him and he laid out his arguments as to why he believes the line of route should come through the south rather than the north of Bedford. I have said I will write back to him to explain our thinking behind that and I am very happy to continue to liaise with him. We need to ensure that our case is the strongest case and cannot be rebutted, and that it is not only open and transparent but subject to challenges that will make it more robust. I am very keen to do that.

My hon. Friend also asked whether the National Audit Office will conduct an inquiry. We can consider that option. I always enjoyed working with the NAO when I was Chair of the Transport Committee; it has a lot of value to add when it comes to ensuring projects are built to time and cost. External assurance is provided by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority, whose next review is expected before the statutory consultation. It works as an external review body for the project.

My hon. Friend asked whether I will instruct East West Rail to release the maps. We can check what further information and detail can be provided. East West Rail does not yet have a detailed design for every single area, but where it has the details, it will publish them. It has done so in the Poets area of Bedford. I am very keen that we do that at the earliest opportunity to give residents and businesses impacted by the line as much clarity and detail as possible, so I will look at that point for my hon. Friend.

My hon. Friend’s fifth point was about writing to property owners about the current corridor. East West Rail has written to property owners about the route update announcement and will engage with them further in the lead-up to the statutory consultation. Again, I am committed to ensuring that more detail is provided. I will come back to my hon. Friend on all those points and the one or two that I have not addressed because I have not had the time.

The hon. Member for Cambridge (Daniel Zeichner) asked how much money has been spent on the Oxford-to-Cambridge road that was proposed and then stopped, and how many officials are still working on it. I can tell him that £28 million was spent on the development project, and there are no officials working on it right now. I hope he is impressed with that transparency and immediacy.

My hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire asked who will be responsible for producing the business case. It is East West Rail in partnership with the DFT. We will work closely with the Treasury to make sure that is properly done in the manner that one would expect. There was talk of the theory of change exercise. That methodology is validated by the Government. We have previously discussed the fact that the Green Book is not particularly good at taking into account regeneration and decarbonisation. Changes have now been made; I welcome them because they mean that transport, and certainly rail projects, score much higher. We will of course ensure that that is rigorous, and that the preparation is transparent. I note my hon. Friend’s expertise in this area from his academic background and his business work. I am keen to work with him to ensure the business case works and is in the right form. He can take that assurance.

The hon. Member for Slough visited Winslow. I did so too, and I was actually brought up a few miles away. I am a supporter of this project because when I went to the further education college in Aylesbury, I used to go over that bridge every day, and there was nothing going on underneath it. Now, as the hon. Gentleman is aware, there is a station that will be ready to be opened shortly, and off the back of that we have the housing and the school. The secondary school in Winslow closed down. I was at secondary school in Buckingham, and all the pupils had to be bussed over. That no longer has to happen, and it is the railway that has allowed that to be built. Winslow is a good example of the fact that, if we build the infrastructure, the rest follows.

I am keen to work with the hon. Member for Slough, because it is clear that he supports East West Rail and wants it delivered. I support his support, as it were. He talked about the electrification miles that have been built, but I have to correct the record. In the past 13 years, while we have been in government, 1,200 miles of railway has been electrified. In the previous 13 years, when the Labour party was in power, the figure was a paltry 63 miles. I am sure the hon. Gentleman will not wish to give me any lessons about how to electrify lines, because we are doing that.

[Mr Dhesi]

rose—

[Huw Merriman]

I know the hon. Gentleman is going to tell me that he will do a lot more in the future, but the trouble is that we only have Labour’s record to judge him on, not his future deeds. Go on, have a go.

[Mr Dhesi]

I would like to rebut what the Minister just said. I referred to what has been electrified in the past year, which is a mere 2.2 km of rail line. The Minister is right to point to the Conservative-led Governments’ record in the past 13 years, but having been Chair of the Transport Committee, he will also be aware that the previous Labour Government’s main priority was to invest tens of billions of pounds in our rolling stock to get rid of the old, inefficient trains that we inherited from the previous Conservative Government after 18 years of grinding public transport to a halt. Having got the rolling stock back up to full speed, the last decade has been a lost decade for electrification, which is what other European Governments have done. That is why I said that the Minister and the Conservative Government have been failing on electrification.

[Huw Merriman]

That was more than an intervention. The reality is—

[Mr Dhesi]

It was a reality check!

[Huw Merriman]

I am impressed with that argument, actually, that rather than electrifying lines—I am a big supporter of that, and we want to and will do more, as we have done 1,200 miles whereas, as I pointed out, in the previous 13 years Labour had done 63—there was a priority focus on rolling stock. That really is pulling the other one. We have been doing both during that whole process. If the hon. Member has been on an Azuma train, he will know full well that they have been delivered under our—