South Cambridgeshire District Council will be supporting the principle of a ‘southern’ route for the Bedford to Cambridge section of the proposed East West Rail line, but is calling for more detail.
The preferred option for the scheme would see the railway, if it goes ahead, approach Cambridge through parts of South Cambridgeshire including Cambourne, Caldecote, the Eversdens, Haslingfield, Hauxton and the Shelfords, rather than a ‘northern’ route that would pass close to Histon.
Campaigners living along the southern route have raised questions about the level of scrutiny given to the plan. Councillors agree that further details are needed on a range of technical issues related to noise and landscape, and say the local impacts need to be better explored and addressed.
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Cllr Neil Gough, Lead Member on the project, said: “Back in 2018 we said that we supported the principle of the Bedford to Cambridge section of East West Rail, but at this stage significant further work is still needed to allow us to fully assess and provide further comment on the local impacts of the scheme.”
The Council will be responding to the ongoing East West Rail consultation raising its concerns. It will also be questioning the environmental sustainability of opening a new line with diesel trains. East West Rail make a number of general commitments to delivering a net zero carbon railway, but the Council has pointed to contradictions in the consultation documents. They claim “the use of diesel-powered trains is not a project objective” but at the same time state “the railway shall not at this point in time be electrified”.
Overall SCDC believes the new railway has the potential to bring significant opportunity to South Cambridgeshire, but said: “It is vital that the East-West Railway Company continue to work closely with local councillors, officers and residents so that everyone’s views are heard as part of the process.”
SCDC’s draft response to the consultation can be found here.
East West Rail’s consultation runs from 31 March, until 9 June. Members of the public can view the consultation and submit their own comments here.
