The promised consultation into the next steps for East West Rail has been launched.

The consultation publicity confirms that discontinuous electrification is now being considered for the whole route, which would be served by hybrid 25kV/battery trains.

The section between Oxford and Bedford was to have been electrified in full under the 2012 plans for an Electric Spine connecting Portsmouth with the Midlands but this was later abandoned, and it was decided that EWR would not be electrified, although passive provision has been made for overhead wires where new structures have been built.

The consultation, launched yesterday, will run until 24 January, and there will be 16 events from next Tuesday onwards which can be visited at various points between Oxford and Cambridge, including Bicester, Steeple Claydon, Bletchley, Bedford, Tempsford and Woburn Sands, as well as in the two university cities themselves.

Virtual webinars have also been arranged on three dates, while there is a virtual consultation room where information will be available.

Services are due to begin between Bicester, Bletchley and Milton Keynes next year, but it is not expected that the existing Bletchley to Bedford section will be incorporated in the new service until 2030. Some stations on this section could be closed, effectively combining them with others nearby.

The line between Bedford and Cambridge is expected to include two tunnels, avoiding the need for large cuttings.

Meanwhile, further station enhancements have been outlined for Oxford, Oxford Parkway, Bicester Village and Bletchley, and there are two options for a new station at Tempsford.

Trains are likely to run between 06.00 and 24.00 from Mondays to Thursdays, 06.00 to 01.00 on Fridays and Saturdays and 07.00 to 23.00 on Sundays.

East West Rail Co chief executive David Hughes said: ‘I’m excited to present our updated proposals, which include electrification to reflect our commitment to running a net zero carbon railway.  Local authorities and businesses have been calling for this railway for three decades and our revised plans aim to maximise the benefits of the project.’