The route opens the possibility of future services between Southampton Central or Swansea and Ipswich or Norwich, using existing onward lines.

In 2013 it was adopted by the Department for Transport and, in late 2017, the government announced that it would be delivered by a quango, the East West Railway Company, rather than by Network Rail.

[13] In January 2025, the Government confirmed funding for the Bedford–Cambridge section, including specifically a new Tempsford railway station that is also to serve the East Coast Main Line.

[18] The document stated that "it is likely" that Bletchley area renewals and network simplification will take place "by 2010", "to include a high-level platform" for Bedford trains.

[20] In the 2011 Autumn Statement by Chancellor George Osborne, the East West railway between Oxford, Aylesbury Vale Parkway and Bedford was adopted by the Department for Transport, and £270 million was committed to the scheme to fund its development.

Passenger services to Milton Keynes Central (via the WCML) and Aylesbury (via the existing freight line from Claydon Junction) were also planned.

[28] The Planning Inspectorate's report had indicated that the scheme was fully funded, as confirmed by a DfT letter dated 9 February 2018, with a budget for this phase of £1,084,726,000, consisting of £150.095 million in Control Period 5 (2014–2019) (sic) and £934.631 million in Control Period 6 (2019–2024) but that, if the Order was not made in 2019, delays of 6 to 12 months could be expected with an impact on its integration with HS2 and a resulting significant increase in costs which had not been allowed for in that funding.

In the 2011 Autumn Statement by Chancellor George Osborne, the East West railway between Oxford, Aylesbury Vale Parkway and Bedford was approved and funded, with £270 million committed to the scheme.

This further investment in the project upgrades it to form a key part of the new ‘Electric Spine’ passenger and freight route between the South Coast, the East Midlands and Yorkshire".

[7] On 10 January 2013, Network Rail announced its intention to construct the western section between Bedford and Oxford, Aylesbury and Milton Keynes, as part of their five-year strategic business plan (2014–2019).

[44] In March 2014, Carillion and Buckingham Group announced that they were to undertake construction of the new link, commencing with the Oxford to Bicester stretch, with a contract value of £87 million,[45] but later that month Network Rail stated that there would be a delay in the completion of the line by two years until 2019.

[46] Early in April 2014, Network Rail acknowledged that the busy level crossing in Milton Keynes between Woburn Sands and Wavendon is presenting "a headache".

[48] In July 2015, Sir Peter Hendy was appointed chairman of Network Rail "and asked by the Secretary of State to conduct a thorough review of the enhancement programme in England and Wales to see what can be delivered in an affordable and timely way within the funding period to 2019".

[52]) As part of the Budget of March 2016, the Chancellor, George Osborne, wrote to the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) to ask them to develop proposals for unlocking growth, housing and jobs in the Cambridge – Milton Keynes – Oxford corridor.

[24] In October 2016, the Minister instructed Network Rail to delete electrification from the design, but to maintain clearances to permit a retrofit at an unspecified future date.

These problems are the all-stations hourly stopping service operated by London Northwestern Railway and numerous level crossing on the route: these could limit capacity for through regional trains.

[67] In July 2019, the EWR Company announced that it will be issuing Invitations to Tender for rolling stock 'later this year',[68] possibly as early as August.

[69] In January 2020, the chairman of the consortium said that, following the public inquiry into the western section that had been held in 2019, he hoped there would be a positive announcement on the TWAO in the 'very near future', with major construction work starting later in 2020.

[59] In April 2023, the Department for Transport announced its intent to negotiate an amendment to its current agreement with Chiltern Railways, to add operation of the Oxford – Milton Keynes Central service, with effect from December 2024.

[76] In an associated document, it announced that its opening plans for East West Rail have changed, notably deferring indefinitely a connection to Aylesbury.

[84] By early February 2022, 1.5 km (0.93 mi) of track had been installed over the new flyover, enabling engineering trains to reach the eastern end of the construction site.

[87] In December 2023, East-West Rail Partnership announced that the track laying between Bicester Village and Bletchley was 99% complete, including bridges, earthworks and an underpass at Calvert.

The reported reason was to test the viability of diverting Great Western line trains to Euston in the case of future engineering works at Old Oak Common.

[95] The line was ready for use by the end of 2024; in early February 2025, Network Rail announced that the entire Oxford–Bletchley route has been released to freight operators (although testing continues prior to commencement of passenger services).

[98] On 30 October 2018, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in his Autumn Budget that £20 million was being made available for work to develop a "strategic outline business case" for the Bedford–Cambridge segment.

[99] In December 2018, in a paper published jointly with the Department for Transport, EWR Ltd. reported that it intended to begin consultations on the route of the central section "early in 2019".

[103] In January 2025, Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed funding for the Bedford–Cambridge section, including specifically a new railway station at Tempsford that is also to serve the East Coast Main Line.

[104] On 22 June 2020, Network Rail revealed that its preferred location for the station was at a site adjacent to Addenbrooke's Hospital and the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway crossing.

[109] In March 2021, East West Railway Company opened an "informal consultation" on proposals for the Central section’s route alignment.

[122] In January 2019, East West Rail Consortium released a document to press the case for the Eastern section to Norwich via Ely, and to Ipswich via Bury St Edmunds.