A rail link is being financially supported by Central Beds Council.
The East West Rail scheme will connect the East Anglian ports to Oxford via Cambridge, Bedford and Milton Keynes. It was discussed by the council’s sustainable communities overview and scrutiny committee on Thursday, July 25.
Work is about to start on the routes western section from Bedford to Oxford.
Councillors gave the thumbs up to proposals to give £5.18m to the scheme. This will comprise £2.5m in 2018 once the western section has been opened, £2.5m in 2026 and £180k as works in kind. This could include developer contributions.
All nearby councils have been asked to contribute.
Councillors suggested that the semi fast service could call at Ridgemont.
The meeting report states: “The net impact of this significant investment in rail services and infrastructure is increased connectivity within Central Beds. East-west connectivity has been identified as a key transport barrier to economic growth in Central Beds.”
A proposed future section of the route, from Bedford to Cambridge, could stop at Sandy. The funding will now be discussed by the council’s executive committee.