Tracks cleared for East-West Rail

Disused tracks on the East-West rail line

Clearance work has begun on part of a major train route which links Oxford to Milton Keynes.

Bushes and plants will be removed on the 20km of disused rail track between Bletchley and Claydon Junction in Buckinghamshire.

Once the lines are clear, surveyors will investigate the area so designers can look at the western section of the East West Rail project.

It is hoped that the £225m project will see trains running by 2013.

The project is being led by Milton Keynes Partnership and the East West Rail Consortium.

Once the design work is complete at the end of 2009, it will be subject to final approval and funding.

Trains would serve Oxford, Islip and Bicester, with plans to eventually link to Cambridge and East Anglia.

Councillor Val Letheren, from Buckinghamshire County Council, said: "After so many years in the pipeline it is great to see work started on this vital link for the many thousands of homes planned for this region by 2026."