Rail
minister


Lord
Hendy
has
named
Chiltern
Railways
as
the
operator
for
the
first
stage
of
East
West
Rail. 

The
line
is
set
to
open
later
this
year,
providing
trains
between
Oxford,
Bletchley
and
Milton
Keynes
Central
and
serving
six
stations,
including
a
new
one
at
Winslow.

The
Department
for
Transport
said
the
line
would
support
almost
100
jobs
at
Chiltern
Railways,
which
is
run
by
Arriva.

Peter,
Lord
Hendy
said:
‘Appointing
Chiltern
Railways
to
run
the
first
East
West
Rail
services
is
one
of
the
crucial
last
steps
in
getting
the
line
up
and
running
later
this
year
and
means
local
people
in
the
area
are
closer
to
experiencing
the
benefits
of
this
transformative
project. 

‘This
milestone
demonstrates
that
we
are
serious
about
unlocking
the
potential
of
the
Oxford-Cambridge
Growth
Corridor,
providing
greater
connectivity
across
the
region
and
delivering
on
our
Plan
for
Change
mission
to
drive
economic
growth.’

Arriva
Group
has
welcomed
the
announcement.

Arriva
UK
Trains
interim
managing
director
Amanda
Furlong
said:
‘We
are
incredibly
proud
that
Chiltern
has
been
chosen
to
operate
the
first
phase
of
the
new
East
West
Rail
line,
a
transformative
infrastructure
project
that
will
drive
long-term
benefits
for
communities,
businesses
and
the
wider
economy

‘Arriva
has
a
track
record
of
delivering
high-quality,
reliable
passenger
transport
and
our
plans
to
start
services
later
this
year
are
already
underway. 
We
look
forward
to
growing
passenger
numbers
on
Chiltern’s
expanded
network
and
playing
our
part
in
the
decarbonisation
agenda
by
encouraging
more
people
to
use
public
transport.’

Chiltern
Railways
is
due
to
be
nationalised
by
December
2027,
when
its
National
Rail
Contract
expires.

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