Bedford Borough Cllr Graeme Coombes commenting on East West Rail’s announcement made on Thursday, January 30: “Earlier today I attended a presentation at Bedford Borough Hall by East West Rail after it was announced by the Secretary of State for Transport that ‘Route E’ had been chosen as the preferred option for the East West line to travel through Bedford.
“You may recall that the decision on the East West route had a direct impact on Wixams Station, with five different route options, three of which were for a more southerly route through Bedford, creating a ‘parkway’ station in an area around the A421.
“This could have meant a crossover station outside of Wixams, nearer to the Park & Ride facility near Elstow. This would have meant no station in Wixams proper and the crossover station would not have been in place until the end of the decade, around 2030, as it would have been entangled in the delivery of the East West route.
“The decision to take East West rail through Bedford town centre, is not only good for Bedford, but it also means that Wixams station can now be delivered around 2024, as the Borough Council has agreed the finance. East West Rail was the one thing that could have thrown a spanner in the works
“I also spoke today to the Borough Council officers responsible for delivering Wixams station and they have had some very encouraging meetings with Network Rail/ Midland Mainline and tell me that everything is ‘on track’.
“Whilst there are a few other negatives around Wixams at the moment, particularly the G-Park application, this is some good news that should push Wixams Station further along the route to being built – and not before time!”
