Cambridge Connect and Railfuture East Anglia submitted our proposals for light rail to the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority public consultation on their new Local Transport and Connectivity Plan, the first round of which closed on Sunday 28 Nov 2021. Our Cambridgeshire Light Rail Strategy (PDF, 22MB, opens in new tab) sets out our vision for improving transport connectivity in the region, making the case for a radical new approach using light rail for mass transit as an important component.
We do not see light rail as a panacea. Rather, light rail forms part of a multi-modal mix of measures that are needed to address the major challenges of growth and climate change facing Cambridge and its surrounding region. We argue there is a need for a backbone of mass transit along two main axes. The first two phases would extend from Cambourne to Haverhill on the Isaac Newton Line, and from the Cambridge Science Park to Trumpington on the Darwin Line. These lines would provide integrated mass transit connected into the Cambridge City centre using a short tunnel. They are designed to link up major business, employment, education, health and residential areas in the Cambridge sub-region. In due course a line to the eastern side of Cambridge would support developments in that area as they are brought forward.
We recognise our model does not cover all of Cambridgeshire, and light rail forms only part of wider improvements needed. Light rail is proposed where the need for mass transit is greatest and pressures of growth are highest. Our vision is for light rail mass transit in the zone of highest demand, well connected with regional train services and local bus networks. Using this approach, the mass transit system can include extended reach and flexibility to connect to more remote areas where light rail is not practical.
