New East West Rail chair announced
East West Railway Company has announced the appointment of Susan Cooklin as its new Chair, as the project moves into its next phase. The appointment has been announced one day after the Commons Transport Committee held a one-day evidence session about East West Rail, and EWR has also revealed its plan for a new depot near Newton Longville, which has led to Buckinghamshire Council voicing concerns about some of the details, including the fact that it would occupy a greenfield site.
Rail minister Lord Hendy has condemned the common practice of leaving redundant rolling stock to deteriorate and then trying to use it again. He said: ‘There’s nothing more stupid than watching some trains halfway through their lives that have been parked in a field.’
The RMT has called for an end to outsourcing, in response to the findings of a fatal accident inquiry into the derailment at Carmont in north east Scotland more than six years ago.
The public are being asked for their opinions in a consultation launched today about proposals to provide more trains in the Swansea Bay area, but Transport for Wales has admitted that its plans for developing two routes and opening stations will depend on financial support from London. The proposals have been unveiled only a few days after the Welsh Government protested about the lack of funding for Wales in the Budget.
The Budget proposals have angered the Welsh Government, which said: ‘Promises by the UK Government to deliver a 14 billion pound commitment to put right decades of rail underfunding have been kicked further down the tracks.’ Deputy minister for transport Mark Hooper said 30 million pounds for Cardiff Parkway was ‘an insult to the people of Wales’.
Several major railway schemes have been given the green light by Chancellor John Healey, but critics say more attention needs to be paid to rail freight. The Chancellor’s list included the Bakerloo Line extension from Elephant & Castle into south east London, which was recognised as a ‘key infrastructure project’. Also mentioned was Stratford International, which may see international trains at last, along with a further 200 million pounds to upgrade Leeds station as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade and Northern Powerhouse Rail, while West Midlands Metro is also to be extended.
The new station at Beaulieu Park in Chelmsford has attracted twice as many passengers as expected in its first year. Over 800,000 passengers have been recorded since the station opened on 26 October 2025, although the initial first-year projections were between 290,000 and 390,000.