East Cambridgeshire District Council is calling on the government for an urgent rethink on its funding for Ely North Junction.
In a motion approved unanimously by Full Council on Thursday 18 September, council members expressed their “grave concern” that the government’s announcement in June regarding the progress of 50 rail and road schemes, once again failed to include Ely Junction.
The strategically important rail junction is widely recognised as a bottleneck causing issues with handling the demand for both passenger and freight services.
Solving the issue at an estimated cost of £500 million is very expensive – but is expected to achieve one of the highest cost benefit ratios for any infrastructure project, returning an estimated £4.89 for every £1 spent.
As well as substantially increasing the number of passenger journeys, the scheme would crucially enable an additional 2900 freight services a year from Felixstowe. This would remove 100,000 HGV journeys from the region’s roads and reduce traffic congestion by 5.6 million hours a year.
All this would result in a dramatic reduction in carbon emissions.
Cllr Mark Inskip, who brought the motion to council, said: “It is now 23 years since the first business case for upgrading the junction was made, and yet successive governments have failed to make the investment in this vital piece of infrastructure for our region, and for the country.
“The council has agreed to call on the government to release funds for planning the project, conduct a rapid departmental review of the scheme and its benefits to present to the Treasury, and listen to the concerns of the local MP, businesses, and stakeholders including this council of the impact of further delay.”
Speaking at the council meeting on Thursday, leader of the council, Cllr Anna Bailey said it was imperative that the whole scheme was taken into consideration – which included the option to retain road links to villages such as Queen Adelaide and Prickwillow.
Progressing the project would also pave the way for other projects of benefit to local communities to be unlocked – such as the Snailwell Loop.
The scheme already has the support of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, and Charlotte Cane, the MP for Ely and East Cambridgeshire, who have regularly lobbied government on the issue.
Council leader, Cllr Anna Bailey will now also write to the Secretary of State requesting a rethink of the funding for the Ely North Junction.
The council has also pledged to liaise with British Rail and Network Rail to ask for their full backing on the planned upgrade and ask how they think the council could further assist with progress on the project.