Milton Keynes could lead UK robotics – if the trains ever run
Campaign group Looking For Growth has warned that a dispute over train doors is stopping the town of Milton Keynes from becoming one of the UK’s top robotics hubs.
“At a time when we have a national crisis of low growth, it’s astonishing that we have a £1-billion piece of infrastructure effectively mothballed by a dispute over who opens the train doors,” said Matthew Fensome (LFG Milton Keynes Captain)
“Milton Keynes is one of Britain’s eight hubs for robotics deployment and could be one of the leading cities in the country for this emerging industry,” Fensome said.
The completed Oxford to Bletchley stretch of East West Rail, which links Oxford to Milton Keynes, has carried no passengers since 2024. The first stretch, Oxford to Bletchley, was completed in the same year, but still has no passenger trains running on it due to a dispute over who will operate the doors.
Part of the delay came from a series of slow bureaucratic decisions: the route east of Bedford was not chosen until 2020, and planning consent for it will not be sought until 2027.
Simon Weller, Assistant General Secretary at train drivers’ union ASLEF, said his union had no objection to services starting.
Weller added that a large group of drivers were waiting on the route and struggling to keep up their route knowledge.
The government previously committed to working with Network Rail and Chiltern Railways to start passenger services in December.
It still has December 2026 pencilled in for the first services but has not confirmed a start date.
Trains will run between Oxford and Milton Keynes, calling at Oxford Parkway, Islip, Bicester Village, Winslow and Bletchley.
Winslow is the only new station on the stretch between Oxford and Milton Keynes.
