Agenda item

The Committee will receive an update report on the East West Rail project and hear from representatives from East West Rail.

Contributors:

East West Rail Alliance

Mark Cuzner, Director

Jez Baldock, Deputy Director

East West Rail Company

Kate Campbell, Senior Communications Manager

Network Rail

Peter Hume, Joint Sponsor Lead

Cllr Steve Broadbent, Cabinet Member for Transport

Cllr Peter Martin, Deputy Cabinet Member for Transport – HS2/East West Rail

Ian Thompson, Corporate Director for Planning, Growth & Sustainability

Dr Laura Leech, Head of Major Projects

Susan Browning, EWR Stakeholder & Team Leader

The Chairman welcomed Mark Cuzner (East West Rail Alliance) and Peter Hume (Network Rail) to the meeting and invited the Cabinet Member for Transport, Councillor Steven Broadbent, to introduce the item. The Cabinet Member noted that activities on the project had increased over the last year which was heavily impacting local communities (e.g. road conditions and closures, and traffic management). A team of officers was in continual dialogue to manage road closure applications and community engagement, and the Council was supporting residents where possible. The work of the Deputy Cabinet Member for Transport, Councillor Peter Martin, was acknowledged as was the work of local Ward Members to support their communities.

The Cabinet Member announced that the Council had secured an agreement with EWR to carry out permanent repairs to 12 roads in the north of the county over the next 12 months. The first road in the programme, Queen Catherine Road, had already been repaired. The Cabinet Member hoped the programme reassured residents and that EWR would effectively communicate the closures required for the repairs to occur. The plans are appended to the minutes.

Prior to the presentation given by East West Rail, Mark Cuzner noted apologies from Jez Baldock and Kate Campbell. The following points were highlighted during the presentation:-

·       The Alliance acknowledged the disruption the project caused residents and businesses and apologized for this impact. The Alliance had tried to mitigate the disruption and thanked Members and the community for its engagement.

·       The infrastructure ready date was on target for its scheduled delivery of July 2024. Currently, work was underway on Sections 2A and 2B which involved HS2 carrying out the civil works.

·       54% of track laying was complete and materials were brought in via the rail network. Substantial work at Bletchley Station had completed whilst Winslow Station was underway.  9 footbridges (7 in Bucks) had been completed which aimed to reconnect community footpaths over the railway. 5 new bridges (3 in Bucks) were completed and open to traffic.

·       The Alliance briefed HGV drivers on routes and expected behaviours (e.g. wheel-washing) in order to alleviate pressures caused by traffic movements to and from EWR compounds. Winter had been particularly challenging. Acoustic barriers had also been installed to protect the community during construction.

·       There were three discussion workstreams with HS2 on traffic management which aimed to coordinate road closures and avoid joint-closures.

·       EWR’s 10% biodiversity net gain commitment required the provision of compensation sites adjacent to the railway. The intention was to minimise removal and protect vegetation where possible. The Alliance worked with Natural England on environmental mitigations and key species e.g. badgers and great crested newts. One example of vegetation retention was a cutting west of Salden Wood Bridge.

·       The project considered climate resilience by being built to withstand a 40% rainfall increase and 65-70% river flow increase.

·       Upcoming future works had a RAG rating to measure its impact on the community. Notable red items were ‘Compound & Temporary Land Reinstatement’ and Permanent Highway Repairs & Reinstatements’ which would require traffic management and use of HGVs.

The following points were made during the Select Committee’s discussion:-

·       Road repairs were carried out by EWR and were inspected by the Council. During the handover process, officers assessed the repair prior to being returned to Highways. The repairs were covered by a defect period of 12 months.

·       Members were disappointed to note that mud on the roads was still an issue having been raised last year. The Alliance reiterated the measures in place to monitor and control the problem (e.g. use of road sweepers) and reassured that areas of concern were followed-up by onsite inspections.

·       The Alliance followed design standards for work to bridges and their associated signage. There were historic issues related to Sandhill Road bridge. The completed footbridges were located in rural areas did not have step-free access but did have handrails and tactile paving. The Chairman reminded the Alliance of the importance of accessibility for all Buckinghamshire residents.

·       One Member raised concern regarding the height of the Marsh Gibbon railway bridge which was causing problems for local business. EWR advised they had replaced the bridge to the agreed specifications and understood there was a signage issue however the Council was actively challenging this position.  

·       The Alliance was confident in delivering the project on time however this was subject to the risk of HS2 suffering delays. An example of recent joint work was HS2 handing over the western fringe of an integration area of 3km. EWR did have ability to recover time in its programme if required.

·       Members expressed significant concerns regarding the plans for the usage of diesel rolling stock on the line. Members also noted that electrifying the line would likely be more cost-effective during construction rather than retrofitting and requested figures on these estimated costs. 

Action: EWR Alliance / Network Rail

·       The legacy Buckinghamshire County and Aylesbury Vale District councils had supported the project’s initial electrification plans. Network Rail advised that electrifying was de-scoped by Government before consent was granted for the project and that Government policy was to investigate decarbonising options which may use battery, hydrogen, or hybrid technologies in future rather than electricity. However, none of these options would be available until after the line was scheduled to open. Due to commercial sensitivities, an end date for the ‘short-term’ use of diesel rolling stock could not be provided however Network Rail would share information on this in future once publicly available.

Action: Network Rail

·       EWR would also share information regarding the evaluation of different rolling stock options within the timescales which had considered capital outlay vs running costs e.g. engine maintenance and fuel.

Action: EWR Alliance / Network Rail

·       The line would be closed daily between 12:30am – 5am for engineering works. The demand for freight, running at one per hour in accordance with the planning permission, would be better understood over the next 12 months when the new timetable would be created. It was estimated each freight train contained around 20 wagons.

·       Network Rail viewed the Aylesbury Spur as a priority however it currently did not pass the central Government affordability test. The Cabinet Member for Transport continued working towards achieving the line’s link to Aylesbury and all Members reiterated the importance of working together to this goal.

·       Buckinghamshire Council held its £15m towards the project and release funds for works in agreement with EWR. One example was funding allocation towards the car park at Winslow which would enable access to the railway.

·       Non-statutory consultation had been carried out 18 months ago regarding the line’s development between Milton Keynes and Cambridge. Statutory consultation was planned this year with planning permission applications to follow.

·       Areas of site access were on the list of reinstatement works but would be carried out last. The Spinney, Winslow, was one such area and aimed to be reinstated later this year.

·       The Alliance’s biodiversity 10% net gain would be supported by third parties and the supply chain, and currently the project was at parity for vegetation removal vs replacement due to the number of compensation sites.  The Strategy had been shared with the Council and further information on its implementation would be circulated to the Select Committee.

Action: EWR Alliance

·       Over 150,000 trees and plants had been planted however Members would be advised of the number of trees lost to the project.

Action: EWR Alliance

·       EWR had no requirement to produce an assessment of the project’s carbon emissions however work was underway to look at its impact.

·       The Cabinet Member for Transport reiterated the importance of the 12 road repairs over the next 12 months to impacted communities and the need to clearly communicate the timetable of works. 

The Chairman thanked Mark Cuzner and Peter Hume for their attendance and reiterated the importance of the project’s annual attendance at the TECC Select Committee due to its public interest and impact to Buckinghamshire residents. A follow-up letter from the Chairman would be drafted and circulated to members of the Committee.