Infrastructure and Projects Authority
Delivery of later phases of the flagship East West Rail scheme, to restore a direct ‘Varsity Line’ rail link between Oxford and Cambridge, has been declared “unachievable” by this key government body.
In its annual report on the Government’s major schemes portfolio for 2021-22, the IPA provides a health rating to some 235 projects (ranging from rail and road to hospitals, housing and defence), with a total life cost of £678 billion.
Although Phase 1 of EWR to rebuild a disused rail corridor between Bicester and Bletchley by 2024 is already under construction, Phases 2 (Bletchley-Bedford) and 3 (Bedford-Cambridge), which remain in the design stage, have now been given red ratings.
It represents a second major blow for the project in less than a month, after Transport Secretary Grant Shapps revealed on July 11 that both phases could soon be scrapped to save some £3.5bn.
In its response to the IPA report, EWR confirmed that the project was “under review”.
