Richard Fuller MP grills Minister in House of Commons Debate

It's always gratifying when people jump in to help the cause.

This week Richard Fuller, MP for North Bedfordshire, tabled an adjournment debate about East West Rail and the asscoiated business case.

The MP argued that while connecting Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford, and Cambridge is sensible, the chosen route through Bedford and north through rural North Bedfordshire is long, hilly, environmentally damaging, and splits communities like Clapham, Ravensden, Wilden, Chawston, Roxton, and Tempsford.
He highlighted a benefit-cost ratio (BCR) as low as 0.3 in past assessments (meaning 70p wasted per pound spent) and questioned whether the project represents terrible value for money compared to other rail schemes like HS2.

He strongly criticised the government's refusal to release an updated business case, drawing parallels to past transparency failures seen with HS2. He asked the following questions

• Will the government publish an updated business case immediately, especially considering recent Treasury changes to discount rates?
• Should a hub station be considered at Wixams given the new Universal Studios development?
• How will the project's financial case account for a two-year delay in running passenger services on the completed Oxford-to-Milton-Keynes section?

Responding for the government, Justin Madders MP provided the following by way of answers:
Strategic Importance: The government remains fully committed to East West Rail as a priority project to unlock economic growth, jobs, housing, and high-tech innovation across the Oxford-to-Cambridge corridor.
Timeline and Delivery: The new section between Bedford and Cambridge is planned for delivery from 2030 onwards, with an upcoming Development Consent Order application expected next year.
Wider Economic Benefits: The Minister emphasised that the benefit-cost ratio is only part of the evaluation, citing a strategic case that expects the line to increase the regional economy by £6.7 billion GVA per year by 2050.
Transparency and Follow-up: While declining to release the full business case immediately (noting it is typically published once planning consent is secured), the Minister committed to ensuring the Rail Minister provides a comprehensive written response addressing the MP's specific technical and financial questions.

You'll notice that the answer lacks any concrete detail, and the word "strategic" is used as a fig leaf to cover for the fact there's no financial justification available.

This illustrates the difficulty of securing accountability and transparency from government, but we will continue to press the questions and hopefully embarrass them into providing answers.

Thank you for your support - please don't forget to encourage friends, neighbours and family to sign the petition.