Tony Polson wrote:

"TheOneKEA" wrote:
(unsnip)
Tony Polson wrote:
The truth is that a comprehensive survey was commissioned by a rail
industry consortium to establish whether the Oxford-Cambridge route
would be viable. The report showed it wouldn't be, not by a long way.
It wasn't even a marginal case. The consortium that commissioned and
supported the study was disbanded soon after the report was completed.

That should have drawn a line, ending any further speculation about
Oxford-Cambridge. But no. It keeps cropping up on here, time and
time (and time) again. And again.

As it should! A single report is not sufficient reason to abandon such
an idea. In the early 80s a report said a similar thing about extending
the Alice Springs line to Darwin.

Oxford-Cambridge is dead and buried. Just forget it.

Considering its potential for future growth and its usefulness for
freight, it's time to resurrect it!

I agree with you about Oxford-Cambridge. But I was talking about
Aylesbury-Bletchley, or Aylesbury-Bedford, or any number of other
possibilities that would be brought about by the restoration of the
relevant trackwork. I wish I could find a copy of the study and see the
results for myself.

The report was a commercially confidential strategic study for the
partnership that intended to promote the restoration of services
between Oxford and Cambridge and intermediate points.

When was it written?

It was never intended to be published and is very unlikely ever to be made
available to the public.

Have you read it?

However, it is clear from the subsequent disbanding of the partnership
and rapid abandonment of any plans to re-open the line that it was a
very, very long way from ever being viable.

So who now owns the report?

As for piecemeal re-openings such as Aylesbury-Bletchley or
Aylesbury-Bedford, the economics are rather different and a strategic
route study such as the one we are discussing is not likely to be all
that relevant. It might make interesting reading, but that's all.

The combination of a strategic route and local links is likely to bring
greater benefits than the piecemeal local links alone.

--
Aidan Stanger
http://www.bettercrossrail.co.uk