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£250m Rail investment welcomed

15 January 2010

News that Chiltern Railways is to invest £250m to create a new main line from London Marylebone station to Oxfordshire and the Midlands has been welcomed by both Buckinghamshire County Council and Wycombe District Council.

Chiltern Railways' investment, called Evergreen 3, will bring significant benefits to Buckinghamshire, providing faster links to London and Birmingham, plus a direct line from High Wycombe to Oxford.

Neil Gibson, Buckinghamshire's Strategic Director for Communities and Built Environment, said: "The County Council is delighted that Evergreen 3 is to go ahead as it will give an important boost to the rail network and local economy in Buckinghamshire. The County Council and Chiltern Railways continue to work closely in partnership to deliver projects to make rail travel more attractive for County residents."

Cllr Lesley Clarke, Leader of Wycombe District Council, added: "We're thrilled that Chiltern Railways' massive investment plan is going ahead. It will complement their existing commitment to redevelop High Wycombe's station and provide improved rail services in our area. We look forward to working more closely with them in the future."

Fifty miles of track on the main line from London Marylebone to Birmingham via High Wycombe will be upgraded to allow trains to run at 100 mph. There will be 0.5 miles of new track built at Bicester to enable Oxford to be served directly from Marylebone. Dedicated new trains designed for faster acceleration will also be introduced on stopping services between High Wycombe and London.

Benefits for Buckinghamshire residents will include:

  • On average, 20% faster journey times to London and Birmingham and intermediate stations from Chiltern Line stations for example, Haddenham and Thame Parkway to London fastest peak journey time will be cut from 44 to 35 minutes.
  • A spin-off from the new route to Oxford will be to directly link High Wycombe and Oxford by rail with a journey time of under 40 minutes - a much better alternative to the current coach and bus service.

These service improvements will make rail travel for Buckinghamshire residents more attractive and help in the drive to encourage motorists out of their cars and on to public transport. At High Wycombe, the planned new transport interchange will complement these improvements by making access to the railway easier. Collectively these enhancements will make the Chiltern Line corridor in Buckinghamshire more attractive for inward investment.

The mainline journey improvements will be delivered from 2011. The new line to Oxford is expected to open by 2013 subject to Transport & Works Act approval.

For further information please contact:
Viv Saunders, Communications Officer
Tel: 01296 382673
Fax: 01296 382005
Email: vsaunders@buckscc.gov.uk