The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced the selection of Arriva Group subsidiary, Chiltern Railways, as the operator for the first stage of the new East West Rail link.
The new line, which is set to begin service later this year, will provide the first direct rail service link between Oxford and Milton Keynes in sixty-years.
Amanda Furlong, Interim Managing Director of Arriva UK Trains, said:We are incredibly proud that Chiltern has been chosen to operate the first phase of the new East West Rail line, a transformative infrastructure project that will drive long-term benefits for communities, businesses and the wider economy.
Arriva has a track record of delivering high-quality, reliable passenger transport and our plans to start services later this year are already underway. We look forward to growing passenger numbers on Chiltern’s expanded network and playing our part in the decarbonisation agenda by encouraging more people to use public transport.
Once established, the line is expected to run two trains per hour, with Chiltern providing roughly 70 extra services each day.
The expansion of services is also set to see the creation of almost 100 jobs within the company, including positions for driver apprenticeships.
Rail Minister Peter, Lord Hendy said:Appointing Chiltern Railways to run the first East West Rail services is one of the crucial last steps in getting the line up and running later this year and means local people in the area are closer to experiencing the benefits of this transformative project.
This milestone demonstrates that we are serious about unlocking the potential of the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor, providing greater connectivity across the region and delivering on our Plan for Change mission to drive economic growth.
A key milestone was recently reached for the East West Rail project after a test train successfully completed a test run between Oxford and Milton Keynes.
