East West Rail: Aylesbury Spur

Chris Heaton-Harris Excerpts

Monday 24th May 2021 Commons Chamber

[The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Chris Heaton-Harris)]

I congratulate my hon. Friends the Members for Aylesbury (Rob Butler) and for Buckingham (Greg Smith). My hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury has made a compelling case for the spur and has done well to secure this debate on transport in his constituency. He made an informative speech on the potential for East West Rail to serve Aylesbury in the future and outlined the fantastic attractions that exist in his county town and constituency. Obviously, he is a strong advocate for a place he truly loves. I thank him for his kind words about the East West Rail project. I feel lucky in this instance that I am the sponsor Minister for a railway that people want, rather than for one that others do not.

I have listened carefully to my hon. Friend’s representations about the importance of East West Rail to his constituency and will try to address many of them now. As he knows, in January the Government demonstrated their commitment to supporting national and regional connectivity by announcing £760 million of funding to deliver the next stage of East West Rail between Bicester and Bletchley, reinstating direct rail services for the first time since the 1960s. This funding highlights the crucial underpinning role that East West Rail will play in supporting Government ambitions for the Oxford-Cambridge arc. It is part of our nationwide commitment to build back vital connections and unlock access to jobs, education and housing.

Alongside this important step forward, the design, development and delivery of this and future stages of East West Rail was changed. Instead of delivering East West Rail in sections—western and central—it will be delivered in “connection stages”. Connection stage 1 represents delivery of the scheme up to Bletchley and Milton Keynes. Connection stage 2 will take it further east, from Bletchley to Bedford. Connection stage 3 will deliver a brand new railway between Bedford and Cambridge. I understand my hon. Friend’s concerns and those of his constituents that the proposed spur connecting Aylesbury and Milton Keynes, which previously formed part of the western section, is not included as part of the three main connection stages. That does not mean that the Aylesbury spur will not go ahead by any means, but it is important that a strong economic case can be made for proceeding with that element of the East West Rail scheme, and that a reliable rail service can be introduced without jeopardising existing services.

As we level up our economy, I look to my hon. Friend to marshal the support and resources of organisations in his constituency. The Government’s response to the covid-19 pandemic has placed a great strain on finances, and led to many difficult decisions having to be made on the prioritisation of resources that meet the levelling-up agenda. Through partnership funding and regional commitment, I believe that a much stronger case can be made to deliver East West Rail services to Aylesbury. To match that regional commitment, the Secretary of State for Transport and I have instructed our officials in the Department to include financial provision for the design and delivery of the Aylesbury spur as part of the comprehensive spending review that will take place later this year.

As my hon. Friend will appreciate, there will be many competing demands from a wide variety of schemes as part of that process, and boosting the available funding through local contributions will make the Aylesbury spur an even more attractive proposition. As Rail Minister, I will continue to ensure that East West Rail works hard with its stakeholders to drive down costs and make the strongest possible case for the scheme to be delivered in full.

If we can work together to find a way to deliver the East West Rail Aylesbury spur, that will build on the investment already made by this Government in my hon. Friend’s constituency. That includes funding for the Stocklake and Aylesbury eastern link roads to support crucial housing development in the area, and £170 million has been awarded to Aylesbury’s housing infrastructure fund bid. Aylesbury has also benefited from the rural mobility fund. That demonstrates the Government’s commitment to investing in Buckinghamshire through both infrastructure and public transport and supporting those growth ambitions. As my hon. Friend may be aware, East West Rail is currently undertaking a non-statutory consultation on the future direction of the scheme, and I urge him and his constituents to respond to that.

I hope that I have kept the door open as far as I possibly can, without treading on the toes of my Treasury colleagues. I hope to work with my hon. Friend on completing the Aylesbury spur as we move forward in this Parliament.

Question put and agreed to.