A billion-pound railway line linking Oxford and Cambridge is a bellwether for the obstacles facing British infrastructure projects.

The project, named East West Rail, would provide a direct connection between the two university cities for the first time since the 1960s, via Bedford, Milton Keynes and Bicester.

Ministers want it to play a vital role in the government’s plan to create a £78bn growth corridor between Oxford and Cambridge, an area known as a hub for tech, life science and AI firms.

In a speech in Oxfordshire in January, Rachel Reeves boldly proclaimed it would create “Europe’s Silicon Valley.” East West Rail itself is estimated to boost the Oxford-Cambridge economy by £6.7bn per year by 2050.

But one issue threatens to de-rail the plans.

Bats and newts have become totemic of delays to building projects in recent years, fuelled by comments from high-profile politicians such as Deputy PM Angela Rayner and revelations surrounding HS2’s notorious £100m Buckinghamshire “bat shed.”

HS2 faced flack in large part because it had dithered for nearly 10 years on the best way to solve its bat conundrum.

While some coverage has been blown out of proportion, infrastructure bosses have long called for a dilution of environmental regulations.

A wildlife site stands in the way

The case of East West Rail is a complex one, and opposition to bypassing environmental red tape is sterner than that of many other major infrastructure schemes.

The Oxford-Bicester section of the route has already opened. However, the eastern part is still in the first stage of the DCO process, as it has been classified as a “nationally significant infrastructure project.”

Cambridgeshire County Council has warned of a potentially catastrophic impact on local colonies of rare barbastelle bats despite backing an employment boost and better transport links.