East West Rail criticised for lack of information

Bedford Borough Council leaders have said they have not received enough information about the potential disruption caused by the East West Rail project (EWR).

Conservative Bedford mayor Tom Wootton said EWR had been "less than fruitful" with the information it had been disseminating to the public.

Officers said they were still awaiting updated technical material and said information provided by EWR had been inconsistent.

EWR said it continued to "work closely with Bedford Borough Council" and that it would hold two more Bedford events in February, displaying the latest designs.

Wootton opened the meeting on Tuesday by saying council leaders were stepping in because EWR had been "very difficult" to get "straight answers" from.

"I feel we are your trade union and we're sticking up to East West Rail to try to get the best deal for you but also to try to get some answers," he said.

Jo Branson-Budd, head of capital projects, infrastructure and sustainable travel, said the council had requested modelling on the six-track versus four-track layout, but that "has not yet been forthcoming".

Community engagement officer Antigua Riley Corion said: "The information that we have been provided from East West Rail actually contradicts the maps that have been provided to residents within the area."

Political divisions within the council were also laid bare.

Independent councillor Nicola Gribble, portfolio holder for environment, told the meeting that in November, she was unsuccessful with a motion amendment for the council to stop supporting the northern route.

"However, the majority of the council would not support that.

"East West Rail have consistently said that the northern route will equal demolitions."

The meeting also heard that recent changes under the Planning Infrastructure Bill remove residents as statutory consultees at the pre-application stage of the Development Consent Order (DCO) process, although residents can still register as interested parties later.

Further East West Rail engagementevents in Bedford are scheduled for February, ahead of a planned DCO submission in 2027.

An EWR spokesperson said: "These events will be attended by our team of experts who will be on hand to talk through the proposals and to answer questions from the public."

They added: "We were grateful for the attendance at the public meeting we held in November and would be more than willing to attend other meetings where we can provide up-to-date information on the project.

"We continue to work closely with Bedford Borough Council, and we are in regular contact with affected residents and local stakeholders to keep them informed about our latest proposals."

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