A cutting-edge signalling system developed for the East West Rail route is now ready for trains after a successful period of testing, Network Rail has confirmed.
Initial work on the line which is named Connection Stage One was completed in October 2024. Since then, Network Rail has been working closely with the Department for Transport (DfT) and industry partners to run test trains and prepare the infrastructure for the anticipated launch of both passenger and freight services.
As part of the project, six new jobs have been created for qualified signallers in Rugby, with plans for further team expansion as future phases of East West Rail progress.
Mark James, Alliance director for East West Rail Alliance, said: “We are extremely proud to have been a part of returning this railway line from Bicester to Bletchley back to the mainline passenger network for the first time in 50 years. We look forward to seeing passengers using the new infrastructure, connecting the communities along the route and facilitating east west rail journeys.
The DfT would not confirm to RAIL when it expects to launch passenger services on the route, however, although it is still expected to be in 2025.
The system is the first of its kind in the UK with the key control centre at the Rugby Rail Operating Centre, which also manages the West Coast Main line. This new “Claydon Workstation” is equipped with the latest systems and software, providing enhanced support from AtkinsRéalis' Advanced Signalling Method (ASM).
Testing and training will continue over the coming months, and although there isn’t yet a designated freight route on the new infrastructure, freight operators are now able to use the track as needed.
Recently, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a new station was to be built just south of Cambridge at Tempsford on the eastern section of the line where the new line will converge with the East Coast main line. The investment is part of the government’s ambitions to significantly grow the regions population and encourage inward investment.
Work on reopening the Bicester-Bletchley line began in 2019 and will include a new station at Winslow. It will connect to the original Marston Vale line at Bletchley towards Bedford. A new line is being built for the third and final phase of the project between Bedford and Cambridge.
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AJB - 21/03/2025 18:03
"a new station was to be built just south of Cambridge at Tempsford " - I think not, According to Wikipedia (so it must be true) "Tempsford is 2.3 miles (4 km) north of Sandy, 18 miles (29 km) west of Cambridge"