Arriva Group’s Chiltern Railways announced as East West Rail operator

Arriva Group has welcomed the announcement from the Department for Transport that its train operating company, Chiltern Railways, has been selected for the first stage of the East West Rail link, drawing on its existing experience and high performance in the region.

Set to launch later this year, the new line will link Oxford and Milton Keynes with rail services for the first time in nearly 60 years. It will unlock the potential of the renowned Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor, transforming connectivity for passengers in the region, increasing access to work, education and business opportunities while encouraging a shift to more sustainable transportation.

Amanda Furlong, Interim Managing Director of Arriva UK Trains, said: “We are incredibly proud that Chiltern has been chosen to operate the first phase of the new East West Rail line, a transformative infrastructure project that will drive long-term benefits for communities, businesses and the wider economy.

“Arriva has a track record of delivering high-quality, reliable passenger transport and our plans to start services later this year are already underway.  We look forward to growing passenger numbers on Chiltern’s expanded network and playing our part in the decarbonisation agenda by encouraging more people to use public transport.”

The selection of Chiltern as the first operator for East West Rail recognises its expertise in the region and its track record of delivering reliable operations that meet customer needs and deliver social value to communities.

Chiltern generated £1.5bn in benefits along existing routes in 2024 by enabling economic activity, providing social connections, and protecting the environment – and has a strong reputation for quality customer service.

Arriva is the only owning group with experience under all contract types in use across Britain’s railways, including national rail contracts under Chiltern and CrossCountry, a concessionary contract under Arriva Rail London and an Open Access company under the Grand Central brand.  Arriva also supports the critical maintenance of rolling stock through Arriva Train Care, and provides customer focussed rail replacement services through Arriva Road Transport Solutions.  It also owns a digital smart ticketing platform called ACE (Arriva Customer Engine).

Rail Minister Peter, Lord Hendy said: “Appointing Chiltern Railways to run the first East West Rail services is one of the crucial last steps in getting the line up and running later this year and means local people in the area are closer to experiencing the benefits of this transformative project. 

“This milestone demonstrates that we are serious about unlocking the potential of the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor, providing greater connectivity across the region and delivering on our Plan for Change mission to drive economic growth.”

Chiltern is expected to run two trains every hour once the route is established, which will mean the operator providing around 70 extra services a day.  As a result of the expansion, almost 100 jobs will be created, including driver apprenticeships.

About Arriva Group:

Arriva is a leading provider of passenger transport across Europe, employing around 34,400 people and delivering around 1.6 billion passenger journeys. With buses, trains, coaches, trams, waterbuses, bike-sharing systems, on-demand transport solutions and a rolling stock leasing company, Arriva proudly connects people and communities safely, reliably and sustainably across 11 countries, delivering these services in a better way, every day. The activities of Arriva are divided into four business units: UK Bus, UK Trains, The Netherlands and Mainland Europe. Arriva has passenger transport operations in the Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and the United Kingdom, and also operates a rolling stock leasing company in Romania.