1,000 signatures reached
To: Rob Butler MP
East West Rail Build the Aylesbury Spur
Dear Rob Butler MP,
Whilst welcoming the £760M that the Government is investing in East-West Rail and the 1,500 jobs it will create we remain concerned that the recent funding announcement did not commit to the completion of the proposed spur between Aylesbury and Milton Keynes, which was originally conceived as part of this project.
Aylesbury is a town that is central to the wider economic region, being an integral part of England’s Economic Heartland, which has in recent years expanded by thousands of additional homes and is due to expand by thousands more by 2033. The Government awarded Aylesbury ‘Garden Town’ status. To live up to that standard growth needs to be sustainable and facilitated by infrastructure that expands to accommodate this level of population and economic growth.
It will be difficult to expand Aylesbury’s economy and population in a sustainable way without improvements to the connectivity of the town, this should include the expansion of its railway provision beyond the current line to London and the single-track rail line to Princes Risborough.
HS2 is, as you know, a railway that brings no direct benefit to Aylesbury and, like the vast majority of the population in the area you stand in opposition to it. In complete contrast, East-West rail is a railway that will bring benefit to Aylesbury and is welcomed by its citizens. Please use this letter to show the Government that Aylesbury wants them to build the promised rail link between Aylesbury and Milton Keynes and the double-tracking of the rail line to and from Princes Risborough.
Doing so would help ensure Aylesbury's economy and environment benefits from a major rail investment through this area. Achieving the maximum benefit that East-West rail can provide is in all our interests: the Aylesbury Spur can be integral to this.
Whilst welcoming the £760M that the Government is investing in East-West Rail and the 1,500 jobs it will create we remain concerned that the recent funding announcement did not commit to the completion of the proposed spur between Aylesbury and Milton Keynes, which was originally conceived as part of this project.
Aylesbury is a town that is central to the wider economic region, being an integral part of England’s Economic Heartland, which has in recent years expanded by thousands of additional homes and is due to expand by thousands more by 2033. The Government awarded Aylesbury ‘Garden Town’ status. To live up to that standard growth needs to be sustainable and facilitated by infrastructure that expands to accommodate this level of population and economic growth.
It will be difficult to expand Aylesbury’s economy and population in a sustainable way without improvements to the connectivity of the town, this should include the expansion of its railway provision beyond the current line to London and the single-track rail line to Princes Risborough.
HS2 is, as you know, a railway that brings no direct benefit to Aylesbury and, like the vast majority of the population in the area you stand in opposition to it. In complete contrast, East-West rail is a railway that will bring benefit to Aylesbury and is welcomed by its citizens. Please use this letter to show the Government that Aylesbury wants them to build the promised rail link between Aylesbury and Milton Keynes and the double-tracking of the rail line to and from Princes Risborough.
Doing so would help ensure Aylesbury's economy and environment benefits from a major rail investment through this area. Achieving the maximum benefit that East-West rail can provide is in all our interests: the Aylesbury Spur can be integral to this.
Why is this important?
The sustainable successful growth of Aylesbury into a Garden town will depend on the building of sustainable transport links.
Aylesbury rail links consist of a slow railway line to and from London and a single-track railway to and from Princes Risborough. If towns like Aylesbury are to both expand and to meet the Zero emissions target of 2050 it is vital the Government builds sustainable transport links and improves connectivity.
The Government’s £760M investment to East-West rail and the 1,500 jobs it will create forms part of the national commitment to ‘build back better’ from the Covid-19 pandemic, levelling up transport infrastructure across the country by investing in rail connections that will help boost economic growth, create jobs and opportunity. Excluding Aylesbury from the direct benefits of this project, by not building the Aylesbury Spur, risks the town missing out on the levelling up of transport infrastructure and hampering the economic growth that can be achieved.
By signing and submitting this letter we demonstrate that we support efforts by our Member of Parliament, Rob Butler MP, and others to ensure the Government commits to building the rail link between Aylesbury and Milton Keynes as part of the East-West Rail investment and that Aylesbury’s economy and environment benefit from a major rail investment in the area.
Aylesbury rail links consist of a slow railway line to and from London and a single-track railway to and from Princes Risborough. If towns like Aylesbury are to both expand and to meet the Zero emissions target of 2050 it is vital the Government builds sustainable transport links and improves connectivity.
The Government’s £760M investment to East-West rail and the 1,500 jobs it will create forms part of the national commitment to ‘build back better’ from the Covid-19 pandemic, levelling up transport infrastructure across the country by investing in rail connections that will help boost economic growth, create jobs and opportunity. Excluding Aylesbury from the direct benefits of this project, by not building the Aylesbury Spur, risks the town missing out on the levelling up of transport infrastructure and hampering the economic growth that can be achieved.
By signing and submitting this letter we demonstrate that we support efforts by our Member of Parliament, Rob Butler MP, and others to ensure the Government commits to building the rail link between Aylesbury and Milton Keynes as part of the East-West Rail investment and that Aylesbury’s economy and environment benefit from a major rail investment in the area.
