Since our last progress update the working group has had two further well attended meetings of the Cambridge Approaches Oversight Group with local parish councils from Toft to the Shelfords. These were to discuss the relative merits of the representative alternative route options presented here. The approach has been to develop an objective assessment of the impact on the different villages and to understand particular issues from each parish. The meeting on the 3rd September was a presentation by David Revell of the different routes. The meeting on the 10th September focussed largely on alternative route 1/1a and the issues as it passes south of Barton and close to the Trumpington Park and Ride area. The 10th September meeting was attended by a BBC journalist.
The meetings continue weekly.
The CA working group met with Bridget Smith the leader of the South Cambridgeshire District Council on the 9th September. She encouraged us to continue and explained various related activities related to the Oxford – Cambridge Arc. She confirmed that EWR will be a freight route from the Felixstowe to The Midlands. (Note that Felixstowe currently handles 48% of UK container traffic.). It emerged that Anthony Browne has come out publicly supporting an EWR station to the north of Cambourne. If this happens, it will have a profound impact on the route options through the option E area. We are actively researching this.
We have sent a second FOI request to EWR focussed entirely on getting the cost benefit analysis that underpinned the Option E decision. We have still not received answers to several outstanding questions, but EWR are saying that they are working on them.
What Can I Do?
If you are interested / concerned about the impact of the new railway as it approaches Cambridge here are some things you can do.
- Tell your local friends and neighbours about it
- Contact your parish, district and county councillors and express your views. Given the above process, now is a good time.
- Write to your MP – Anthony Browne and do the same
- Comment on this website so others can see your view or email us at info@cambridgeapproaches.org, we will try to respond quickly.
- ask questions directly to EWR on contact@eastwestrail.co.uk. So far we have seen a 3 month delay in getting answers.
- subscribe to updates to this site so that we can see the level of interest.
- Two questions 1) would you be interested in a facebook discussion group? 2) would you be interested in a public webinar to explain the alternative routes in more detail?
8 replies on “Progress Update 2”
In answer to question 2 – yes would be interested in public webinar to explain route details. Thanks!
Yes, agreed 2, not facebook.
Historical information about the achievements and milestones of the East West rail Consortium can be read as far back as 2008 on the link below.
The consortium is not the EWR Company, but the local authorities involved. Ten interesting pages to refresh minds.
It did not put the link in, so here is again.
Historical information about the achievements and milestones of the East West rail Consortium can be read as far back as 2008 on the link below.
The consortium is not the EWR Company, but the local authorities involved. Ten interesting pages to refresh minds.
https://www.eastwestrail.org.uk/news/
Here are two further links of interest from 2016 and 2017, for background information that may help understand the where we are now?
https://www.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Engineering-Summary-Report.pdf
https://www.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/East-West-Rail-Central-Section.pdf
Helpful documents from Railfuture.
https://railfuture.org.uk/ox-cam/
Several links within of interest.
In particular a report on possible routes to Cambridge County Council in 2014. The direct route on page 5 is most interesting and relates to the discussions had that David refers to in update 2 above.
https://railfuture.org.uk/east/docs/East-West-Rail-Routes-from-Cambridge-Sept2013.pdf
Engineering Summary Report 2015 on Phases 2a and 2b route selections.
There are several more but I think if you read through this you will see how we perhaps arrived where we are now.
https://www.eastwestrail.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Central-Section-Engineering-Summary-Report.pdf
Thank you for all the work so far and this very helpful update.
I have a question for the Action Group and perhaps EWR Co. Now that it is confirmed there will be no connection for the EWRL near Shepreth or Foxton is the, I believe, central government requirement that the rail route will approach Cambridge South Station from the South still needed?
If this requirement was ditched (local users will not be able to gain access to the trains) and the route of the old varsity line was used as through Trumpington, currently used by the “Guided Busway” then turning sharply north as you have reported in the above update.
After all Cambridge South station, Cambourne, Cambridge South Park and Ride transport hub ( currently awaiting planning approval) , Foxton and no doubt others will all be on the Cambridge Metro routes.
We want to help EWR company, so I am just wondering if any of you have thought about this linkage and whether this has made the job much harder for EWR co.?
Since the building of the rail route is still some 5 -7 years away, the “Guided Busway” investment will not be wasted since it will still be used for some time. By the time construction starts the “Busway” will be close to the end of it’s designed life.
Or, of course, SOME OTHER ROUTE could be chosen, if this outdated and now rather stupid looking requirement is DITCHED.