Rail minister Lord Hendy has named Chiltern Railways as the operator for the first stage of East West Rail. 

The line is set to open later this year, providing trains between Oxford, Bletchley and Milton Keynes Central and serving six stations, including a new one at Winslow.

The Department for Transport said the line would support almost 100 jobs at Chiltern Railways, which is run by Arriva.

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.’

Arriva Group has welcomed the announcement.

Arriva UK Trains interim managing director Amanda Furlong 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.’

Chiltern Railways is due to be nationalised by December 2027, when its National Rail Contract expires.

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