East West Railway Company Limited

In 2018, the Department for Transport created the East West Railway Company (East West Rail) to look at plans being developed for a new railway between Oxford and Cambridge. East West Rail is a nationally significant railway project which aims to deliver much-needed transport connections for communities between Oxford and Cambridge by:
• Upgrading an existing section of railway between Oxford and Bicester
• Bringing back a section of railway between Bicester and Bletchley
• Refurbishing existing railway between Bletchley and Bedford
• Building brand new railway infrastructure between Bedford and Cambridge
Services will be introduced in three connection stages. Our role is to consider and challenge these plans with fresh thinking to ensure we create a railway that is:
• Simpler for all customers
• Cheaper for the taxpayer
• Greener for the environment
• Quicker than industry norms
• Safe and secure
The vibrant communities between Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge blend beautiful landscapes and a rich cultural heritage with globally renowned centres of education, business, technology and an increasingly dynamic business scene. Together they contribute around £111 billion to the national economy each year. While it’s a fantastic place to live and work, people are being let down by a lack of good east-west transport links. This is constraining growth and limiting people’s ability to enjoy everything the area has to offer – from easy opportunities to commute between home and work, to days out with friends and family.
East West Rail

https://eastwestrail.co.uk/

Neil Sachdev Chair

David Hughes Chief Executive

Why East West Rail is supporting Boardroom Apprentice

East West Railway Company Limited is an agile, fast paced organisation as the company moves through a programme/project lifecycle, and therefore provides a unique opportunity for apprentices to experience a wide range of matters. This will allow individuals to develop skills in areas around resolving problems, effective challenge and how risk impacts the decision-making process. The role will aid individuals to establish relationships with a diverse group of individuals who are Board members, listening to experts in their specialist areas and learning from their experiences. It is important for our Board to have exposure to this scheme as it supports the continued creation of diverse pool of capable board-ready members and gives aspiring apprentices the experience of practical boardroom dynamics.

Location of Board and Committee Meetings

Board meetings are in person and Committee meetings are online. Hybrid is available in some circumstances.

Frequency and timing of board/committee meetings

Monthly Board and Investment Committee meetings, the remaining Committee meetings are quarterly (Safety, Health and Environment, Remuneration and Nomination Committee and Audit and Risk Committee) however we are currently undertaking a Board Effectiveness Review which is likely to impact the frequency of Board and Committee meetings for 2025 to 2026

Date of Board Meetings (January – December 2025)

TBC

Committee of the Boards and meeting dates (January - December 2025)

TBC

Security checks

TBC

Payment of travel expenses

Yes

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