Major £794 million railway investment expected to create 1,500 new jobs in the Milton Keynes area

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced plans to reinstate direct rail services between Bicester and Bletchley for the first time since 1968.

A train station will be built at Winslow alongside enhancement to existing trains between Oxford and Milton Keynes via Bletchley.

The Transport Secretary has also called on local authorities, MPs and community groups to submit bids for a share of the third and final round of the Department for Transport’s ‘Ideas Fund’, designed to encourage proposals to reopen railway lines, services and stations.

The previous two rounds of the Ideas Fund have so far seen 25 projects awarded up to £50,000 each to develop schemes to restore stations and railway lines.

The other major renovation planned is a £34m project, to rapidly progress plans to reopen the Northumberland Line between Newcastle-Upon-Tyne and Ashington, which closed to passengers in 1964 as part of the Beeching cuts.

The Transport Secretary said: "Restoring railways helps put communities back on the map and this investment forms part of our nationwide effort to build back vital connections and unlock access to jobs, education and housing.

“Returning these routes to their former glory, and progressing work to reopen even more lines and stations, shows our commitment to levelling up journeys across the country as we build back better from the pandemic.”

The reopening of this line will provide better connectivity along the Oxford-Cambridge arc and shorten journey times between routes outside of London. These plans are scheduled to be completed in 2025.

Simon Blanchflower, Chief Executive Officer at East West Railway Company, said: “We are delighted that the Government has shown a big commitment to East West Rail and the Oxford Cambridge Arc with today’s investment decision. This funding will enable us to get on with the construction work that will connect communities who live on the East West Rail link.

“We are committed to improving connectivity across the Oxford-Cambridge Arc and fully recognise our responsibility to ensure that it is delivered in a way that minimises disruption, supports the regional economy, maximises benefits and supports jobs across the region.”