East West Rail facts for kids
East West Rail is a big railway project in England. Its main goal is to connect the east of England (like East Anglia) with the central, southern, and western parts.
This project plans to build or rebuild a new railway line. It will link important cities like Oxford and Cambridge. The line will pass through places such as Bicester, Milton Keynes (near Bletchley), and Bedford. Much of this new line will use old railway tracks that are currently closed.
The East West Rail line will connect many major railway lines. These include the Great Western, Chiltern, West Coast, and Midland lines. It will also link to the East Coast, West Anglia, and Great Eastern lines. This new route will help trains travel across England without needing to go through busy London.
It could also create new train services. For example, trains might run between Southampton Central and Ipswich or Norwich. These services would use existing lines through places like Reading, Didcot, and Ely.
The first part of the project, from Oxford to Bedford, was approved by the government in November 2011. This section is expected to be finished by 2025. As of December 2016, the part from Oxford to Bicester Village is already open. This section connects to the Chiltern Main Line. There are no plans to add electric power lines to this railway.
Contents
What are the Sections of East West Rail?
The East West Rail project is divided into three main parts. Each part helps connect different areas of England.
Western Section
This part of the railway goes from Oxford to Bedford. It mainly uses railway lines that are already there. This includes a section between Bletchley and Claydon Junction that was not in use for a long time. The Western section also includes a smaller branch line that goes to Aylesbury.
Central Section
The Central section connects Bedford to Cambridge. For this part, some existing railway lines will be used. However, a brand new section of railway track will also need to be built to complete this link.
Eastern Section
The Eastern section runs from Cambridge to other important towns. These include Norwich, Felixstowe, and Ipswich. This part of the project will use railway lines that are already in place and are currently active.
Images for kids
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Vegetation clearance works, 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Bletchley, March 2014.
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Eastern section of link including Norwich, Felixstowe, Ipswich and Cambridge
