01/06/2026
Bedford Borough councillors have unanimously approved an amended response to the latest East West Rail consultation amid concerns over home demolitions, construction disruption and the impact on communities across the borough.
An extraordinary meeting of Bedford Borough Council on Wednesday (May 27) considered the authority’s response to the Spring 2026 consultation by East West Rail.
Presenting the report, environment portfolio holder councillor Nicola Gribble (Independent, Renhold and Ravensden) described the current proposals as “a fundamentally flawed and ill-fitting scheme that fails to meet the needs of Bedford borough, its residents, or its future”.
“As it stands, the proposal is best characterised as a square peg in a round hole,” she said.
“I am struggling to see how Bedford will function during construction.”
Conservative group leader councillor Graeme Coombes (Wixams and Wilstead) said his group’s proposed amendments to the council’s response were intended to make the council’s position “more robust”.
“We can’t support anything that requires home demolitions,” he said.
Councillor Coombes argued the council should consider withdrawing support for East West Rail if concerns over demolitions, noise, disruption and other impacts were not addressed.
Liberal Democrat leader councillor Henry Vann (De Parys) reminded councillors that the response is to the current consultation and not “exaggerated” opposition to the concept of East West Rail.
“I don’t think you need to be a genius to know that connectivity particularly going to Cambridge, particularly going to Oxford, and that central role Bedford has as a potential economic hub of north-south rail rail connectivity is a good thing.
“However, being supportive of the concept of East West Rail does not mean that one needs to support the poor consultation to date.”
Councillors raised concerns about the impact of construction traffic on rural communities, and whether road safety impacts had been properly considered.
Freight proposals, hospital parking and station accessibility were also discussed during the debate.
Labour Group leader councillor Abu Sultan (Cauldwell) said his group remained “absolutely opposed to the demolition of residential homes”.
“When we talk about demolition, we cannot reduce it to coloured lines on a map or figures in a report,” he said.
“We are talking about people’s homes, places where families have lived for years, sometimes decades.
“Places filled with memories, stability, and community.”
East West Rail told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) it recognised Bedford Borough Council’s concerns but maintained that the proposed additional tracks and station redevelopment were necessary to meet future rail demand and support the town’s long-term growth.
A spokesperson said the company was “not looking at alternative approaches” and would instead use feedback from the current consultation to refine its final designs.
The company said the existing four-track section north of Bedford had already been designated by Network Rail as “congested infrastructure” and argued that additional tracks were needed to accommodate East West Rail services alongside Midland Main Line services.
It said the planned increase to up to five trains per hour to serve the proposed Universal theme park further strengthened the case for additional track capacity.
East West Rail also said it was working with Bedford Borough Council, Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and other stakeholders to minimise disruption during construction and maintain access routes throughout the works.
It said a Code of Construction Practice would set out measures covering construction traffic management, access arrangements and environmental protection.
An East West Rail spokesperson said: “East West Rail has extensively explored options to minimise and reduce impacts in Bedford, and we will continue to refine our plans by taking account of feedback from the current consultation.
“We recognise Bedford Borough Council’s concerns about elements of our proposals and will continue to work closely with the council and the local community as the scheme progresses.
“Once built, East West Rail will deliver transformational connectivity for the town, including a new station designed to meet the needs of a growing community.”
✍John Guinn
