Oxford Mail first reported that Network Rail is lining up a £650m package of extra East West Rail work, with the expansion timed around the Universal United Kingdom Resort opening in 2031. For Bedfordshire, that matters because the railway is being adjusted to carry more passengers to and from the resort site as the wider transport picture takes shape.
The connection is direct, not speculative. Network Rail says the new four-platform station at Wixams will enable workers and visitors to travel to the Universal United Kingdom Resort, while also serving local residents; East West Rail says it is accelerating parts of the programme to support new homes, jobs and investment and to provide more frequent, higher-capacity services to the resort once the infrastructure is ready.
What the £650m package could include
The package would extend existing East West Rail work and cover upgrades between Bletchley and Stewartby, the Oxford Parkway to Bletchley section and work at Milton Keynes Central station. It is being framed as a capacity-building scheme, with double-tracking, a new track layout at Stewartby, passing loops, electrification, re-signalling and station works all in the mix. The reporting around the plan says the improvements would be delivered progressively from the early 2030s.
East West Rail’s own published plans show why the timing is being pulled forward. By the early 2030s, it says it would upgrade and electrify the Marston Vale Line, allowing up to four trains an hour between Oxford and Stewartby, with a new station at Stewartby serving the resort. The company adds that accelerating the programme could mean services start within the first few years of the resort opening.
The government has already set out the same broad direction. In its East West Rail update of 19 November 2025, it said a new rail station would help serve the upcoming Universal theme park in Bedford, while East West Rail said it was aiming for more frequent, higher-capacity services to the new Universal entertainment resort once the necessary infrastructure is in place.
What happens next
At Wixams, designs for the larger station are being developed, with site survey work expected in 2026 and main work not expected to restart until 2027. That gives a clear near-term milestone for a scheme that is still being rolled out in stages, even though the resort itself is due to open in 2031.
For Bedfordshire readers, the significance is that this is no longer just a general rail upgrade. The route is being designed with the resort in mind, and the visible next steps are the detailed station work at Wixams and the wider East West Rail delivery that should shape access before and after opening day.
