Universal park needs rail link restored, says group

A travel group is calling for a 20-mile (32km) railway line that closed in 1962 to be reinstated to serve the forthcoming Universal theme park which it believes could be significantly more successful than predicted.

The British Regional Transport Association (BRTA) said it was time "to look again" at restoring the Bedford-Northampton route.

It wrote to Universal explaining the plan which it said represented a "transformative opportunity - not only for Bedford but for the wider Midlands, South East and East of England".

The park, due to open in 2031, on a former brickworks near Bedford, is predicted to attract up to 8.5 million visitors in its first year.

The Department for Transport (DfT) said at this point, it had no plans to consider reinstating the railway line.

As it stands, Universal would be served by the East West Rail (EWR) line, with services running between Bletchley and Bedford, and by the Midland Main Line, which runs between Kettering and Wellingborough in Northamptonshire and on to Bedford.

The theme park would also be served by another station, due to be built at Wixams, just south of Bedford, on the north-south Midland Main Line, carrying Thameslink services.

EWR is planning to extend its line from Bedford to Cambridge, completing a link between the university cities of Oxford and Cambridge.

BRTA, a voluntary transport advocacy organisation, said it strongly supported the theme park development as it promised "substantial economic, employment and tourism benefits".

The resurrected 20-mile line would run between Bedford, Olney Parkway in Buckinghamshire, and Brackmills on the edge of Northampton.

"We are concerned that current transport planning may not adequately provide for the possibility that the resort proves significantly more successful than current forecasts anticipate," the BRTA said.

"While rail access from London is comparatively strong through Thameslink, significant gaps remain elsewhere."

It said rail access from Northampton and the wider Midlands remained "indirect and relatively unattractive".

The group believed the current plans "underestimate the attractiveness of the [Universal] resort and the volume of visitors who could be encouraged to arrive by rail if suitable infrastructure were available".

The reinstated railway line would "increase the resort's catchment area, reduce reliance on private cars, help congestion, and lower demand for parking".

It said it was concerned "that a proposed residential development north of Bromham [near Bedford], on the former railway corridor, could prejudice future reinstatement of this strategically important route".

Investing in "rail connectivity now could deliver substantial long-term benefits for Universal, visitors, employees and the wider region", it added.

It comes as Mike Reader, Labour MP for Northampton South, has called for travellers to be able to use the freight line that runs from Northampton Gateway and links up to the West Coast Mainline.

The DfT pointed out it had invested in the new station at Wixams and three new slip roads from the A421, "boosting connectivity and resilience".

Universal, Bedford Borough Council, West Northamptonshire Council, and Reader, have all been approached by the BBC for comment.

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