Оксфорд-Кембриджж аймағы: Экономикалық даму және инфрақұрылым жобалары

Notional arc 50 miles NW NE of London
The Oxford–Cambridge Arc (formerly the Cambridge – Milton Keynes – Oxford corridor) is a notional arc of agricultural and urban land at about radius of London, in south central England. It runs between the British university cities of Oxford and Cambridge via Milton Keynes and other settlements in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire at the northern rim of the London commuter belt. It is significant only in economic geography, with little physical geography in common. The original Oxford to Cambridge (O2C) Arc initiative was launched in 2003 by three English regional development agencies (RDAs), EEDA, EMDA and SEEDA. The aim of the initiative is to promote and accelerate the development of the unique set of educational, research and business assets and activities that characterise the area and in doing so, create an "arc of innovation and entrepreneurial activity that would, in time, be 'best in the field'". In November 2017, a report for the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) noted that, "in 2014, the Gross Value Added (GVA) of the "corridor" was £90.5bn (2011 prices); by doubling housebuilding rates in the area, and delivering East West Rail and the Oxford–Cambridge Expressway, this [would] increase by £163bn to a GVA of £250bn". In February 2021, the Government announced plans to develop the concept further, as of July 2022, East West Rail development continues but the (then) Minister has suggested that the BedfordCambridge leg could be cancelled. The route resumes as an expressway between the A1 and the M1 at Junction 13. From there to the outskirts of Oxford, (as of February 2020), the route remains to be determined and may not go ahead.

In 2017, the National Infrastructure Commission projected that the Arc will become host to major hi tech industrial developments and will need to provide one million new homes by 2050, with Milton Keynes alone doubling in population to 500,000. To facilitate this development (and wider national infrastructure needs for outer orbital routes around London), two major projects are underway or were planned. Work has begun to extend East West Rail from Bicester to the West Coast Main Line at (Milton Keynes); onward extension to Cambridge is in detailed planning. Detailed route options planning began on the Oxford Milton Keynes phase that is to complete the Oxford Cambridge Expressway (linking the A34 south of Oxford with the A14 near Cambridge). However, in March 2021, the government cancelled this phase of the Expressway (though construction of the remaining phase of the M11A1M1 element continues). The paper identifies the arc as an economic powerhouse with three significant issues that need to be resolved: the natural environment and climate change; connectivity and infrastructure; and the availability of homes where they are most needed. and others, such as Cambourne, have been built from scratch since the late 1990s. Politically, the Arc is largely a Conservative stronghold, with only the urban constituencies returning Liberal Democrat or Labour MPs.

The region is well served by major radial routes from London (the M40, M1, A1(M) and M11 motorways, and the West Coast Main Line, the Midland Main Line and the East Coast Main Line railways). However, routes around the arc are poor, with a disjointed and overloaded road network. and a fragmentary railway line (remnants of the former Varsity Line). A twice hourly express bus service, route X5, is operated by Stagecoach UK Buses from Oxford as far as Bedford but, with a rural service providing the BedfordCambridge link, taking almost five hours to travel the 85 mile (137 km) between the university cities. In November 2017, in its report on the Arc, the NIC called for the railway line between Bicester and Bletchley to be reopened by 2023 and a new route between Bedford and Cambridge to be operational by 2030, and for the development and construction of a new grade separated dual carriageway between the M1 and Oxford by 2030, as part of a new OxfordCambridge Expressway. as of July 2022, the route through Bedford to Cambridge is still in detailed planning but the Minister has cast doubt on whether earlier commitments will be honoured and construction proceed.