East West Rail consultation draws 5,374 responses as DCO submission set for autumn 2027

East West Railway Company (EWR Co) has published a report summarising 5,374 responses to its latest route-wide consultation, and said it will submit its Development Consent Order (DCO) application in autumn 2027.

The consultation ran from 14 April to 9 June 2026, according to EWR Co's feedback report page. More than 3,300 people attended events held along the route and online, the company said in its 12 November announcement.

The consultation set out updated proposals including Bedford station, Cambridge East station, changes to stations and level crossings on the Marston Vale Line, and a new underpass at London Road in Bicester.

David Hughes, chief executive of EWR Co, said: "Consultation is a crucial part of developing East West Rail and helps us understand both the opportunities people see in the railway and the concerns they have about its potential impact on their communities."

What respondents said

EWR Co said respondents raised concerns about traffic, construction activity, noise, the environment, land and property, and accessibility, alongside the opportunities they saw in the railway.

Respondents included local people, community groups, businesses, local authorities and other stakeholders, according to the feedback report page. The company said the report groups responses into key themes and is a summary rather than a detailed list of every comment received.

When the consultation was announced on 7 April 2026, EWR Co said the proposals included the introduction of hybrid electric and battery-powered trains.

Changes already made

EWR Co said feedback has already led to revised parking plans at Bedford station, changes to the proposed new station at Lidlington, and an intention to keep Millbrook level crossing open on the Marston Vale Line, subject to final approval from National Grid.

At Bedford, the company's 2024 proposal was an eight-storey multi-storey car park on the site of the existing station car park on Ashburnham Road. Revised plans announced on 1 October 2026 set overall parking at 900 spaces following discussions with Bedford Borough Council, and include a six-storey multi-storey car park.

EWR Co said feedback on a Ford End Road option had raised concerns that concentrating parking there could increase traffic through Queen's Park.

On the Marston Vale Line, the company's project page says Lidlington station will be relocated to the east of the existing station, and that following consultation feedback the planned multi-storey car park there has been replaced with a surface-level car park.

The Marston Vale plans involve four new fully accessible stations at Woburn Sands, Ridgmont, Lidlington and Stewartby, replacing nine smaller stations that date back to the 1840s, according to EWR Co.

Leadership and next steps

EWR Co describes the scheme as about 100 miles of connected track with seven new fully accessible stations. The company has announced Susan Cooklin as chair of East West Rail; she previously served as managing director of Network Rail's Route Services business.

Susan Cooklin, chair of East West Rail, said: "I am delighted to join East West Rail as Chair at such an important moment for the project."

EWR Co said all feedback is being reviewed by its technical teams and will help shape the railway's final design. The DCO application will go to the Planning Inspectorate in 2027, and if it is accepted for examination the public will be able to register to take part, the company said in September.

The company said it will continue working with communities and stakeholders as it finalises its proposals, with the DCO application due in autumn 2027.