The new rail link between Oxford and Cambridge is set to be delivered by a new organisation - East West Rail. This will be Britain's first integrated rail operation for over 10 years. Network rail will take private sector investment to design, build and operate the new line.

Chris Grayling, Transport Secretary wants Network Rail to share the responsibility of the running of the line with private operating train companies.

The train lines western section could be opened in 2024, cutting travel time for commuters between Oxford and Bedford from the current time of two hours and 20 minutes to just an hour and one minute.

In the announcement given in the Autumn Statement, the chancellor Philip Hammond said the government will be allocating £100 million to accelerate the development of the line. The government have added £10 million to the Bedford to Cambridge section of the line.

Speaking at the Policy Exchange think tank event in London the Transport Secretary said the following,

“The line from Oxford to Cambridge was closed in the 1960s… It was a decision we have lived to regret...

"To put it bluntly it is one of our most important corridors. And it is not just me, the National Infrastructure Commission has said so too, identifying the need for tens of thousands of new homes in the area, and to design major new transport links with delivery of these homes in mind…

“East West Rail will provide a commuter route for the crucial centres on its route and will provide the transport spine for additional housing and business development in a corridor which is one of the Government’s priority areas for the future of our country.

“The new organisation will work hand in glove with the National Infrastructure Commission as it plans the development of this nationally important transport corridor to identify the best way to deliver the project, looking particularly at the potential benefits of linking transport infrastructure development and the economic and housing development around it.”