A railway that has quadrupled its passenger numbers and provided countless new investment opportunities shows how East West Rail can deliver a similar boost to local economies across the Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge region, business and council leaders say.
The railway, which links Corby to London using a reopened branch line off the Midland Mainline, strongly illustrates the exciting potential of East West Rail to improve prospects for people and businesses along the route, bringing more jobs, prosperity and opportunity through improved connectivity.
The line reopened to passengers in 2009, and services are operated by East Midlands Railway (EMR). It links Corby to London calling at several towns and cities including Kettering, Wellingborough, Bedford, Luton, and Luton Airport Parkway where passengers can use the DART service taking them direct to the airport terminal.
The railway proved to be so popular that Network Rail electrified the line and carried out capacity improvements, allowing the number of trains to double in 2021. This new connectivity has led to a huge boost for Corby, providing much-needed regeneration and investment opportunities as well as creating new jobs.
Local business and council leaders believe East West Rail – which Chancellor Rachel Reeves has endorsed as part of the Government’s plans for an Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor – can reap similar success.
The railway will enable quicker low-carbon ways of travelling between Oxford and Cambridge, with the increased connectivity creating more job opportunities – particularly in tech and life science industries – and provide easier access to affordable homes.
When the line first opened, services were hourly, but it’s been so popular it was upgraded and electrified a few years later, allowing a half-hourly service to then operate, which now means passenger numbers have more than quadrupled from just under 118,000 in 2009/10 to over 498,000 in 2023/24. And it’s this improved connectivity which the local council believes has played a key role in regenerating the town.
Sean Rose, Head of Policy at Northamptonshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “Corby has transformed. We’ve got new businesses moving into the town, new people investing in Corby and that is what the railway can do. It can unlock levelling up that really makes a difference for businesses and the local economy.”
Jason Smithers, Leader of North Northamptonshire Council, has seen many benefits that the line has brought to Corby. He said: “It was a massive impact. If you look at what that regeneration project has delivered, the railway station, you talk about the station quarter and all the building that’s going on there.
“A railway station is crucial to the economy of any town or city. Doctor Beeching, in his wisdom, removed a lot of smaller branch lines, which wasn’t really a long-term vision that’s held this country where it should be. So having more of these schemes in smaller towns and cities would be great.”
Naomi Green, Managing Director, England’s Economic Heartland, said: “Corby Station demonstrates the significant potential of rail to transform the places it serves – unlocking improvements to quality of life and growing economic prosperity which traditional appraisal methods sometimes fail to adequately capture.
“Likewise, East West Rail will transform our region – boosting our economy, reducing reliance on the car and removing barriers to accessing jobs and services. With the right door-to-door connectivity and seamless integration, these benefits will be felt by a wide catchment of communities and businesses. Indeed, people living in Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough will be just a short journey away from connecting into services to Cambridge, Milton Keynes, Oxford and Bedford.”
The new railway has also allowed more people to come and live and do business in the town. In fact, when the line first opened, a marketing campaign which branded Corby as ‘North Londonshire’ targeted the capital with the aim of attracting Londoners to move to Corby not just to live, but to also work and do business, providing a further boost to the local economy.
Mark Redding, Communications, Communities, Partnerships and Marketing Manager for Urban & Civic, which manages Corby’ Priors Hall Park development, said: “We have examples of people who saw those adverts going up on the tube, come up to ‘North Londonshire’ on the train, saw what we have here, loved it and moved up here. They’ve moved their businesses up here as well.
“We know that connectivity is a really important thing for local people when they are looking for places to buy a new home or settle down so being able to be so close to that connectivity is a real benefit for people here at Priors Hall Park.”
David Hughes, CEO, EWR Co, said: “The reopened railway line to Corby is a strong case study in the transformational power of investing in rail infrastructure to drive prosperity, more job opportunities and help regenerate towns and cities. East West Rail can emulate this by delivering similar benefits to places like Bicester, Bedford and Milton Keynes, whilst also providing vital connectivity for the science and business communities in both Oxford and Cambridge.”
