Bucks HS2 station resurfaces

Rail

The idea of an HS2 station in Buckinghamshire may return to the planning agenda. 

The station site would be close to the village of Calvert, where the proposed East-West Rail line from Oxford to Bletchley will cross the London-West Midlands high-speed line. 

The National Infrastructure Commission considered a station in its work on the Oxford to Cambridge Arc. The final report published in 2017 did not mention it, but did float the possibility of building a major new “city-scale” development between Bicester and Bletchley, where Calvert is situated (LTT 24 Nov 17). 

Now the idea of an HS2 station has resurfaced in Doug Oakervee’s review of HS2, published in February. It said: “The DfT should consider making passive provision for a future HS2 station near to Calvert. If it is decided that an HS2 station should be built, passive provision will help prevent any disruption to HS2 services. 

“There could be merit in developing an HS2 station in the future here if local plans support a significant residential and commercial development in this region, and if there is passenger demand to justify the cost of developing a station here,” said Oakervee.

The cost of developing the station could be shared with others “including potentially the East West Rail Company”, he suggested.