Better transport links will make Oxford-Cambridge corridor ‘Europe’s Silicon Valley’

Rachel Reeves has reaffirmed that the East-West Rail project is pivotal to creating a “growth corridor” between Cambridge and Oxford. The Government has received 18 submissions for “sizeable new developments” along the route, she said.

The Chancellor described the area as a hub for globally renowned science and technology firms, which has the potential to be “Europe’s Silicon Valley”.  

“At the moment, it takes over two and a half hours to travel between Oxford and Cambridge by train,” said Reeves.  

“There is no way to commute directly by rail from places like Bedford and Milton Keynes to Cambridge. And there is a lack of affordable housing right across the region.”

She added: “There are far too many supply side constraints on economic growth here. We are going to fix that.” 

Reeves said the Government would move “quicker” to deliver a mainline station at Tempsford – the “nexus” of the East Coast Mainline, the A1 and East West Rail. This would result in journey times to London of under an hour and to Cambridge in under 30 minutes once East West Rail (EWR) is operational, she said. 

EWR would also result in new services between Oxford and Milton Keynes this year. Reeves made reference to the A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet road scheme, due to be completed in 2027, which said would reduce journey times between Milton Keynes and Cambridge. 

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Plans for the “Ox Cam arc”, complete with thousands of new homes and jobs, were initially launched in 2003, but there has been little progress since, said Reeves. “We are not prepared to miss out on the opportunities here any longer.”