Last week the Transport Select Committee in Parliament heard evidence from various stakeholders associated with East West Rail.
Richard Fuller MP said:
I sat through the hearings and I have to say I was not impressed.
It is publicly recorded that the return on taxpayer investment will be little more than around 30p for every Β£1 that this railway will cost. As such participants in the hearing were keen to highlight the 'strategic benefits' that the railway will bring. Unfortunately, no-one was able to clearly define what those benefits might be, although there was broad consensus that significant housebuilding along the line would ultimately justify the Β£7 billion currently anticipated cost.
Bedfordshire has endured housebuilding far in excess of the national average in the past decade or so, to an extent that has placed colossal strain on services such as access to GPs, NHS dentists and school places. What we don't need is significantly more population growth, simply to make the numbers add up on a railway link that otherwise cannot deliver a return.
Richard recorded the following video with his reactions https://youtu.be/7_XMMWWX9CE?si=juaqWkBeH-vtytKp
