As the arm’s-length body gets up and running, East West Railway Chairman ROB BRIGHOUSE tells PHILIP SHERRATT how the aim is to do things differently on this project
East West Rail is mobilising. Centred on the Oxford to Cambridge corridor, EWR is very much the project of the moment. It has the personal backing of Transport Secretary Chris Grayling, with some Government sources describing the scheme as his ‘pet project’.
No pressure, then, for the company which is overseeing it. Mr Grayling himself launched the East West Railway Company last December. Its formation was confirmed in December 2016 as part of the Secretary of State’s plans for vertical integration on the railway. East West Rail has also been hailed as a champion of sourcing private sector funding, with responsibility for construction of part of the route to be taken away from Network Rail. Following Sir Peter Hansford’s review into just this issue, EWR could blaze a trail and set an example for others to follow.
Former Chiltern Railways Managing Director and now Network Rail Non-Executive Director Rob Brighouse was confirmed in December 2016 as EWR’s Chairman, heading up the company and overseeing the building of the line. Of course, Mr B…
