Funding confirmed for new railway station entrance

7 hours ago

Amy HolmesMilton Keynes political reporter

News image — An artist's impression of what the new entrance for Bletchley station might look like

East West Rail A modern Bletchley station entrance beneath elevated tracks, featuring a brick tower and glass concourse. A landscaped plaza with walking paths and a red cycle lane is busy with people, while a train passes overhead. — An artist's impression of what the new entrance for Bletchley station might look like

Millions of pounds of funding has been confirmed to create a new entrance at a railway station on the East West Rail route.

The government has put forward £17m to support construction of an eastern access to Bletchley station, on top of a commitment of up to £5m from Milton Keynes City Council.

It will create a direct gateway between the station and Bletchley's main high street, improving access for passengers and supporting businesses.

Labour MP for Buckingham and Bletchley, Callum Anderson, said: "This is a huge moment for Bletchley as it has never made sense that our station has turned its back on the town centre, making it harder for residents, commuters and visitors to access Queensway."

At the moment, the station entrance is on the western side, opposite Milton Keynes College.

Passengers alighting at the station and heading to the town centre face a long walk under a bridge, and they have to cross a busy road.

The proposed new entrance would be built on Saxon Street, on the other side, with the existing entrance also due to remain open.

Martin Heath/BBC The exterior of Bletchley station, which has a single-storey functional ticket office and waiting room, with a ramp and yellow handrail. There is a wooden portico with a station sign around the top. There are posters along the wall, and a single brown door to the right. There is a doubled-door entrance under the portico. There is a strip of yellow "no waiting" paint on the roadway, which has white direction arrows on both sides. — The existing entrance to Bletchley station is on the western side, but the town centre lies to the east

Anderson said: "The government's backing for a new eastern entrance is a vote of confidence in Bletchley's future and in the enormous potential of our town.

"This investment is also about the future of Bletchley's economy. Through the Bletchley Investment Taskforce, we are working to bring new jobs, businesses and opportunities into the town, and improving connectivity is a vital part of making that vision a reality."

Bletchley is a station on the first section of the East West Rail line, which will eventually run from Oxford to Cambridge.

That part is still awaiting its first passenger train, despite being handed over to operator Chiltern Railways in March 2025.

David Hughes, chief executive of East West Rail, said: "We are really pleased to see that funding has now been confirmed to allow the construction of the new eastern entrance at Bletchley station.

"This investment underlines our commitment to working with partners to ensure East West Rail delivers lasting benefits for passengers and communities along the route."

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, added: "We are putting the infrastructure in place to create growth in every part of the country, and I look forward to continuing to work with Callum [Anderson] to help Bletchley achieve its huge potential."

Details on delivery timelines and construction phases are expected to be announced in due course.

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