THE Government is being urged to seize a ‘once in a generation opportunity’ and plough millions of pounds into new transport links between Oxford and Cambridge.

Ahead of the Autumn Statement next Wednesday, the National Infrastructure Commission is calling on ministers to accelerate plans for an ‘expressway’ road between the university cities and ensure the railway between them is restored by the early 2030s.

Its report published today says they could form ‘Britain’s Silicon Valley’ with Milton Keynes and fire the UK economy, but a chronic shortage of housing presented ‘a fundamental risk’ to success.

Commission deputy chair Sir John Armitt said the regions could become ‘greater than the sum’ of their parts.

He added: “To succeed in the global economy, the UK must build on its strengths.

“The corridor connecting Cambridge, Milton Keynes and Oxford could be Britain’s Silicon Valley – a globally recognised centre for science and technology.

“East West Rail and the Oxford-Cambridge Expressway can be a catalyst to bring the region together to deliver the housing and connectivity it will need to compete with the best in the world.

“This is a once in a generation opportunity – we must grab it with both hands.”

His comments came as Philip Hammond, the Chancellor, was widely expected to announce funding for a series of infrastructure projects next week.

The National Infrastructure Commission’s interim report, due to be followed by another, more detailed document, calls on the Government to ‘urgently’ take forward both the Oxford-Cambridge Expressway and East West Rail, a scheme that would eventually reinstate a direct railway link between the universities cities.

The commission said £100m should be pledged to speed up the delivery of the western section of East West Rail, between Oxford and Bedford, by 2024. It said another £10m should be provided to plan the line onwards to Cambridge and make it ‘operational from the early 2030s’.

Meanwhile, it called for £27m towards development of the Oxford-Cambridge Expressway up to 2018/19, adding detailed designs were needed ‘as soon as possible’.

The expressway would be ‘the first, high-quality road link from Oxford to Cambridge’ and would provide ‘considerable national benefits’, the commission said.

Council chiefs said they hoped its recommendations would be taken up by Mr Hammond. County council leader Ian Hudspeth said: “This is fantastic and very welcome news.”