Overview
- Chiltern Railways says the first passenger services will not start before 2026, with no confirmed date for launch.
- The operator has not filed the formal start notice, preventing the new services from being timetabled for several months.
- RMT and Aslef oppose extending driver-only operation, with RMT seeking talks after being told trains would run without guards.
- Track and infrastructure were completed in 2024 and trains are leased, with test and freight services running while work continues at Winslow station.
- Separately, the government and EWR Co set out next-phase proposals for up to five trains per hour, new stations including one to serve the Universal theme park and a Cambridge East station, station entrance upgrades, and hybrid battery-electric trains, with full opening likely to slip further into the 2030s.