Dear friends, colleagues and elected representatives,
Whilst a direct passenger line to serve Cambridge from the West is needed ‘somehow’, there is a capacity issue of getting intensive freight through the same ‘box’ between Shepreth and the Newmarket Line in a mainly urban area.
Track capacity is needed for intensive passenger use, so why not use the opportunity for new lines between the Soham/Ely Junction Lines across to the East Coast Main Line linking onwards with our suggested route of Tempsford-North Blunham-Willington area – old route into Bedford St John’s?
It makes a lot of sense and could serve new built development and other areas not served by rail currently. We aim to give options and welcome further study and consideration.
We call on all involved to give it a perusal and consideration and remember, given growth, given a Climate Emergency, given a need for modal shift and congestion reduction, we need these rail links and should not be dualling the roads which just deliver volumes to urban interfaces and junctions with nowhere to go and park and ride is no panacea.
Please give us your support and suggest our solutions to the East-West Rail Company and the respective councils and other agencies via consultations and just plain email/letter and to the media as well.
We need action to plan the new route now and creatively keep corridors open from blockages, a mistake which has cost us dear in failure to protect the old formation, brings us to the conundrum we face today. Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
Richard Pill
Chairman
English Regional Transport Association (ERTA)
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