A1: Bedfordshire

(asked on 28th August 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on the number of journeys on the A1 in Bedfordshire of the opening of the East West Rail line.


Answered by
Rachel Maclean Portrait
Rachel Maclean
This question was answered on 8th September 2020

The first Road Investment Strategy (RIS), published in 2014, committed to examining the case for improvements to the A1 between the M25 and Peterborough. Following an initial study of the whole stretch, work focused on the sections between junctions 10 (Stotfold) and 14 (Alconbury), where the challenges on the route are most acute.

The findings have shown that improvements, including some new alignment, would offer poor value for money. However, as recognised in the second RIS, published in March 2020, substantial plans for future local growth could change that assessment. Therefore, we expect there will be opportunities to re-examine the case for potential improvements along this section, particularly as proposals for the Oxford to Cambridge Arc, including East West Rail, develop.

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