At his first meeting with David Hughes, the latest Chief Executive of East West Rail, Richard Fuller MP talked him through some of the issues that local residents have raised with him about the current consultation.
Summarising the meeting, Richard said:
There are concerns about the impact East West Rail will have on access to Bedford Hospital. In particular there is no clarity about the provision of car parking at the hospital either whilst the proposed new station is being built or thereafter. It really is not acceptable for EWR to be unclear on this point.
We also discussed the (welcome) suggestion that EWR be battery-powered for parts of the route. This is something residents have been asking for but sadly it seems unlikely that North Bedfordshire residents will see any benefits as the focus seems to be on the town centre.
EWR will need considerable amounts of extra land during construction and I asked if this would be acquired or rented. I am worried that if EWR buys the (largely agricultural) land it will subsequently sell it off for further development without local consultation.
Finally we discussed the impact of the railway on Chawston, Colesden and Tempsford and I followed up afterwards by attending the consultation event In Tempsford. There still remains far too much uncertainty on this part of the route.
The consultation closes on 24 January 2025. To have your say please visit https://eastwestrail.co.uk/consultation2024
