Bedford Borough Council have updated its Rail Strategy to take account of recent developments within the rail sector.
The strategy outlines Mayor Dave’s four priorities in order to deliver long-term sustainable growth and rail infrastructure for residents in Bedford Borough.
Mayor Dave Hodgson said: “This an important update to the strategy from 2019. As well as clearly setting out our priorities for rail in Bedford Borough and beyond, it also sets out our opposition to six tracks north of Bedford Midland and our frustration with how residents have been treated by the East West Rail Company.
“We have consistently campaigned to keep the existing four track entry and believe that our residents deserve better than repeated delays to decisions and inconsistent communications. It is unacceptable.”
The new Wixams Station will provide an important transport connection for Wixams and the surrounding area when it opens in 2024. It will allow access to the rail network for passengers across a greater area, alleviating the pressure on Bedford Midland station and the car park there.
“Four Thameslink trains per hour will call at the station each way.”
Cllr Michael Headley, Portfolio Holder for Rail, said: “A new station has always been part of the plans for Wixams, and now that we are leading on the development, we are seeing great progress towards the planned opening in 2024.”
On East West Rail, Cllr Headley added: “The new railway line is an important opportunity for Bedford Borough – socially, economically and environmentally. It is essential for our Borough that we maximise these benefits.
“However, we cannot support some of the actions of the government’s East West Rail Company, particularly their unnecessary proposal for extra tracks north of Bedford and the awful way they have treated people impacted by their proposals with unacceptable delays whilst the future of their homes is at risk.
“It’s important to update our 2019 Strategy to reflect the current situation, including our concerns from the last EWR Company consultation that obviously only happened long after our last Strategy was published.
“EWR allows us to build new transport hubs, including a regeneration of the area around Bedford Midland. This will be a catalyst for the town centre, generating jobs and boosting the local economy.
“The railway will also provide huge environmental benefits, by replacing thousands of road journeys with a much more sustainable form of transport. To maximise these benefits, it is important that the line is electrified from day one – we have and will continue to lobby the EWR Company for this.”
The Mayor continued: “Another key priority of this strategy is maximising the Borough’s connectivity to other regions. We will continue to fight for much improved rail services to the Midlands and the North. Bedford Midland station could serve as a hub to six international airports and Eurostar services, all within 100 minutes.
“However, with East West Rail, it is essential that there are no further delays or unnecessary extra lines pushed forward by the East West Rail Company. All our residents, and especially those directly impacted, deserve better from the government and their East West Rail Company.”
Tom Wootton Conservative Mayoral Candidate: said: “After years of dithering, Bedford’s Mayor is at long last updating his rail strategy, but he fails to recognise the reality of what his actions will mean for Bedford’s residents.
“He talks connectivity and sustainability, but everyone else can see the massive disruption to nearly 100 family homes, the blight of increased pollution in our town, the destruction of our rural communities, and the noise from the large numbers of freight trains that will use East West Rail.
“All of this is due to the choice of a route that the Mayor has been actively lobbying for over a number of years. The Mayor is in complete denial over the reality of what he has agreed to, and its likely impact on our town and its people.”
Conservative Group Leader, Cllr Graeme Coombes commented: “The people of Wixams have nothing to be grateful to the Mayor for.
“Having presided over endless delays to a station that should have been in place by 2013, he can’t now pretend to be the saviour of Wixams Station, which is only happening thanks to unrelenting pressure from Wixams residents.”
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