Oxford–Cambridge Rail Push Could Send Rents Over £2,100 — and Put 37 Homes on the Chopping Block for £7B Line

The £7B East West Rail link aims to boost growth but also leads to rising rents and community displacement along its route (PHOTO: UNSPLASH)

A rail line meant to usher in Britain's next Silicon Valley could force dozens of families from their homes while pushing rents beyond £2,100 ($2,800) a month, exposing a paradox at the heart of the government's growth plans.

Unveiled as a key part of Labour's Oxford-Cambridge economic corridor, the £7 billion ($9.3 billion) East West Rail project is set to demolish 37 homes in Bedford's tight-knit Poets area, while driving rental prices to levels that threaten to exclude the very workers the project aims to attract.