East West Rail: from Beeching's axe to Britain's future
East West Rail is a project I’ve been watching for over half my life. With multiple failed attempts to resurrect the Varsity line, EWR is different. This three-part series examines how the original Oxford-Cambridge railway was built, why Beeching’s cuts closed it, why it’s being rebuilt now, and how to ensure it actually succeeds.
How Victorian ambition built the Oxford-Cambridge railway, and why Beeching's "rational" cuts destroyed what we now desperately need to rebuild.
The Oxford-Cambridge corridor generates £135bn annually but operates with lacklustre east–west connectivity. EWR promises to fix this – if delivery and controversies don't derail it.
The railway fails if the last 2km is impractical. Why UK transport planning consistently fails at first/last-mile connectivity – and how EWR could finally get it right.
Key themes
Historical Context: Understanding the Varsity line’s construction and how Beeching’s “spreadsheet thinking” destroyed valuable network infrastructure that took sixty years to recognise as a mistake.
Economic Opportunity: The Oxford-Cambridge Arc hosts 19,000 companies, 570,000 jobs, and £135bn turnover – one of the UK’s most dynamic economic regions constrained by lack of east-west connectivity.
Delivery Challenges: Station consolidation controversies, electrification compromises, and Universal Studios’ 2031 opening create a complex delivery challenge where timing is critical.
Governance Failures: Why first- and last-mile connectivity determines success, how UK transport planning consistently fails at access infrastructure, and what integrated governance could achieve.
Why it matters
East West Rail isn’t just about trains – it’s about whether the government can learn from its infrastructure policy mistakes, deliver complex projects that work as systems rather than isolated components, and create the governance structures needed to keep the UK economy competetive with its counterparts.
With Universal Studios opening in 2031 and 8.5 million annual visitors depending on this infrastructure, the consequences of half-measures will be broadcast to the world.