British Regional Transport Association (BRTA) and predecessors have long called for support for looking afresh for reopening this former rail link anew, as studied done 20 years ago showed a new case and now with Universal Studios Theme Park and East-West Rail, electrification north of Bedford and Northampton's expansion, the missing link in a Brighton-London-Bedford-Birmingham arc is the link between Bedford and Northampton. There's also a growing freight demand which could make this new rail link and diverse life-line to save land for other uses and enable speedier connectivity between the regions it would serve.
BRTA CEO Richard Pill said "BRTA calls on local councils and other agencies to pool resources and study anew this rail link idea in the new context. Growing populations, the push for growth, regeneration and back to work agendas all demand the better public transport is provided to enable that to happen. Add to these trends the Universal Theme Park at the Bedford area, with 8 million visitors per year, we will need better radial rail access if congestion, pollution and erosion of the quality of life is to be avoided."
More information can be found on the BRTA Website: https://brtarail.com/b2n/