Photo above: meeting with Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps (right) and Transport Minister, George Freeman (left) to discuss EWR.
The Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, has today announced that the East West Rail line from Bedford to Cambridge will take a northern route via Cambourne. I have been campaigning for this route and it is fantastic news for South Cambridgeshire.
East West Rail will connect communities along the Oxford to Cambridge Arc, providing a much needed link between these two world renowned centres of academic and scientific excellence.
South Cambridgeshire is an economic success story and has experienced rapid growth in recent years, but its infrastructure has not kept pace. This new rail link will not only provide a very welcome improvement to the lives of local commuters but will also help to unlock the further potential of South Cambridgeshire as a global leader in life sciences and technology.
I am delighted that the northern route for East West Rail via Cambourne has been confirmed. It is best for local people, businesses and the environment. Residents in Cambourne and the surrounding villages have been crying out for a rapid and reliable transport link into Cambridge and now they will get it. Residents in the Bassingbourn area will also be relieved. There is no commuter need for an additional rail link in this area and the environmental destruction would have been huge.
Following this announcement we can now plan other local links more effectively, so the whole transport system works together.