We dubbed the ‘Darwin Line’ because it is an overground link connecting the West Campus to the Science Park via the new housing developments in the north of Cambridge at Darwin Green, as well as the historical association of Darwin with Cambridge. The ‘Darwin Line’ would serve residents on the north side of Cambridge, for example in Arbury, Kings Hedges and Orchard Park, and would also serve outlying towns and villages along the north such as Girton, Oakington, Willingham, Histon, Cottenham, Milton etc. Shuttles could be implemented to enable these connections.
The ‘Darwin Line’ connects together important employment centres at the Science Park and the West Campus, and also links directly to the new community of Eddington. In time, we can envisage the ‘Darwin Line’ extending further east towards the new developments planned on the old sewage works, and could also link up directly with the Eastern Line proposed towards the Marshall airfield.
Part of the line from Histon Road to Cambridge Regional College would convert the existing guided busway. We envisage that the guided busway from St Ives would terminate near Regional College or Cambridge North station, where passengers could switch onto the Light Rail service. Given the anticipated frequency, speed and efficiency of the Light Rail service, passengers will welcome the opportunity to access the City much more quickly than is possible by bus. In time, we expect the existing guided busway to be replaced by light rail, as has occurred in other cities such as Edinburgh.
Rapid access to the City
The ‘Darwin Line’ would provide commuters in the north of Cambridge with rapid access into the City centre in ~15 minutes, as well as onward access to destinations such as the Central railway station in an additional four minutes, and Addenbrookes in an additional 9 minutes from the City centre.
Social inclusion
The ‘Darwin Line’ thus could play a significant role in ‘levelling up’ Cambridge by providing excellent access to a wide range of important employment and service destinations. Currently, residents in the north of Cambridge have limited options for accessing these sites. The ‘Darwin Line’ could play an important part in improving social inclusion in Cambridge.
View all Cambridge Light Rail phases …
Download the Cambridgeshire Regional network (Version 12.0, 14 Aug 2024) as pdf (504 KB)
