Petition calls for East West Rail passenger services

A petition, calling for passenger services on the East West Rail line from Oxford to Milton Keynes to begin, has amassed more than 2,000 signatures.

The infrastructure has been available to use since October 2024, and a new station at Winslow in Buckinghamshire was handed over in 2025, but it has only been used for training runs, freight services, and HS2-related testing.

Diana Blamires, who started the petition, said the delay was disrupting the commuting plans of people who had moved to the area for job opportunities.

In a recent letter, rail minister Lord Hendy put the the delays down to the 2024 general election, train modifications and testing, driver training and staffing arrangements.

The Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) union said the project "has been held back for years by indecision, rising costs and unresolved planning issues".

Winslow lies on the East West Rail (EWR) line between Oxford and Milton Keynes but Chiltern Railways was appointed to run the services and manage the station in March 2025.

"It's just essentially contract issues as well between Chiltern and the government," said Rich Wilcock, editor of Rail Magazine.

He added that the reason was partly due to "a late handover to Chiltern Railways".

"They would have preferred to have it running or having the contract in place before 2024, so they could iron out differences to have with the unions at that point whilst work was still continuing," he said.

"They were stuck then trying to haggle a deal with the unions...Chiltern want driver-only operated railways on that track, the unions don't - they want a guard on the train at the same time."

Blamires said the government has "completely failed" to get the services up and running.

"There are young people getting two or three buses to get to a job in Bicester at the moment and some of them not managing to keep their jobs because of how hard that can be."

A Department for Transport spokesperson said they were "supporting Chiltern Railways as they work with unions and other industry partners to get these services up and running as soon as possible".

The campaigner added that commuters were facing difficulties like "fighting through rush hour traffic" which disrupted their plans and lives.

"We're almost at May and still no information at all about when it's going to open or if it's ever going to open, or just be a freight routes," she said.

An RMT spokesperson called it "simply inaccurate to blame delays to East West Rail on our dispute".

"The project has been held back for years by indecision, rising costs and unresolved planning issues.

"The industrial dispute only affects one part of the route and the biggest delays sit squarely with those in charge of managing the project."

Chiltern Railways said it has made "significant progress" so far, quoting examples such as "recruiting 44 trainee drivers, completing a new colleague hub and driver depot at Bletchley, and the fit-out of Winslow Station".

"However, there is work still to finish to prepare the trains, on Winslow station and on the operating arrangements for the new route," it added.

"We continue to work closely with the Government, trade unions and industry partners, and will provide further updates when we are able to."

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