East West Rail route sparks concerns it is ‘unnecessary eyesore’

Concerns that East West Rail could be an ‘unnecessary eyesore’ have been raised by people in South Cambridgeshire ^[1]. Representatives of East West Rail met with people at a drop in event in Great Eversden this week (Thursday, June 22). The event is the first to be held in the county since the preferred route for the final section of the train line between Oxford and Cambridge was announced at the end of last month (May).

The project has proved controversial in the area and concerns remain for some after the news the southern route into Cambridge ^[2] had been chosen over the northern approach. The route is proposed to go from Bedford to a new station in Tempsford, south of St Neots, before heading to a new station in Cambourne. From there the line is planned to connect to Cambridge from the south of the city, through the new Cambridge South Station.

After speaking with East West Rail representatives at the information event, Stephen Mallinson said he had concerns that under the plans there would be viaducts built near Great Eversden. He said these would be an “eyesore” and that he wanted to know more about how this would be mitigated.

Mr Mallinson said: “I am concerned that East West Rail has chosen a route that is less environmentally friendly, more expensive and will take longer to build than the alternative.” He said he did not think past discussion about the project had been “transparent” and that while the conversations at the drop in event had been “helpful” he said he had still not been reassured.

Catherine Hills said she did not think the railway should be built and said it was “unnecessary”. She said: “It should be electrified and they should have considered the northern route more seriously. There is going to be enormous damage created by this and I am not convinced by anyone that the economic advantages outweigh the environmental damage.”

Ms Hills said the route would only offer “very specific transport gains” for people living in Cambourne to travel to work at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.^[4] She said she was not persuaded by the need for the railway and worried it was due to “people wanting to build a lot more houses”.

John Abraham said there was “no benefit” for people living in the Great Eversden area, and said he was concerned about the impact to existing footpaths, and said he did “feel sorry” for the people who would be impacted by embankments. He said: “I am concerned, if they have to go this way they need to mitigate the noise and visual impact as much as possible.”

Andrea Bower said she also did not see the benefits of East West Rail for people in the area. She said: “It is cutting through the countryside, there is no benefit to anybody that I can see. I have looked at maps, I have done the surveys, I was hoping to find some way to put my mind at rest, but it is not going to. It needs to go to the north rather than south, there are going to be stations there, people want it there, it would be more beneficial. Here it is just cutting through farmland, houses, and it will be diesel, it is not what they said originally.”

While many said they would have preferred the previously suggested northern route to have been chosen, one farmer who would have been impacted by the route said he did not want it to go to the north. Adrian Peck said: “I farm in Dry Drayton, I was very interested to see if it was coming through my farm, but it does not actually affect me. Obviously it does affect an awful lot of people, I have friends whose lives are all going to be changed.”

Andrew Ashenden said he was “not particularly against” the project, but had questions about the cost to build crossings for the railway through existing roads. He said: “There are more than 30 roads between Cambridge and Bedford that will need to cross with a bridge, tunnel, or level crossing. The cost of bridging or tunnelling over 30 lanes is just mind blowing and it is never mentioned.”

Willam Armes and Rupert Gould both said they would like to see more of a “balance” in the plans between passengers and freight trains. They suggested thousands of lorries could be taken off the A14 ^[5], which would impact the cost benefit ratio of the scheme, but said they did not believe it was a successful hybrid between the two at the moment.

An EWR spokesperson said: “Approaching Cambridge from the south reduces congestion in an already congested transport area and provides fast, reliable access to the Cambridge Biomedical Campus: a driver for economic growth that creates high value jobs and attracts global investment. Importantly, it is also the station for Addenbrooke’s Hospital – East Anglia’s biggest hospital. In addition, there are three times as many jobs within walking distance of Cambridge South station compared to Cambridge North.

“Approaching Cambridge from the north might be cheaper, but cheapest doesn’t mean best. A northern approach would reduce the frequency of trains and extend journey times, likely require passengers to change trains to an unacceptable level. Approaching Cambridge from the north has been assessed on a number of occasions with the same conclusion each time – that the southern approach is the best solution.”

The spokesperson said EWR had been ‘looking really hard’ at ways to reduce the number of viaducts and embankments on the line and that it was working to reduce ‘the impact on local communities and local roads as much as possible’. Regarding freight being taken off the A14 and other roads, the spokesperson said EWR would be a ‘predominantly’ a passenger railway.

However they added there were ‘positive benefits to freight. The spokesperson said: “Within the current scope of EWR (without additional investment elsewhere), we currently envisage two new freight paths per day in either direction along the route.

“These paths could replace more than 70,000 HGV journeys on the roads every year. It would require significant investment, both on EWR and elsewhere on the network, for freight to exceeds these levels. Demand for rail freight will always be balanced against the impact to local communities and any investment requirements.”

EWR said the decision on how trains on the route ‘hasn’t been made’ but that ‘nobody ultimately wants to run diesel trains on the route’. The spokesperson added the aim is to deliver ‘a net zero carbon railway’.

The plan is to ‘maintain existing highway connections and Public Rights of Way wherever feasible’ and to provide suitable alternatives when it is not, the spokesperson said – adding that the cost of infrastructure was included in the project’s cost forecasts.

The spokesperson added: “East West Rail is a once in a generation opportunity to connect communities between Oxford and Cambridge with jobs, education and opportunities. Local authorities have been calling for a railway connecting Cambridge and Oxford since the 1990s and it’s supported by local communities and employers; more than 70% of local residents surveyed support a transport connection between Oxford and Cambridge and the Top 50 employers in Cambridge have written to the Government to make the case for EWR.

“East West Rail’s remit is to make journeys easier and create new opportunities for local people by building fast, reliable and sustainable public transport: not to build homes. Any new housing will ultimately be up to local decision makers – including local authorities – who will confirm and approve development plans.”

They added: “With better public transport, new connections and interchanges, less time spent in traffic and less carbon emitted from congestion, EWR will improve the quality of life for people living between Cambourne and Cambridge.

“The new railway brings people living between Cambourne and Cambridge closer to new interchanges with the West Coast Main Line, Midland Main Line and East Coast Main Line, opening up new connections and opportunities to visit friends and relatives around the country without the need to make multiple changes via London. It also provides new options for people to get around the local area, particularly those who rely on public transport because they don’t own a car.

“We know that congestion on local roads in the area is a problem – and our forecasts show that the modal shift from car journeys to rail from areas west of Cambourne will result in fewer cars on the roads between Cambourne and Cambridge, reducing congestion, cutting emissions and improving the quality of life for local people.”

References

^{^} Cambridgeshire (www.cambridge-news.co.uk)
^{^} Cambridge (www.cambridge-news.co.uk)
^{^} Proposed Cambridge and Oxford rail line likened to Britain’s bendiest road (www.cambridge-news.co.uk)
^{^} Cambridge Biomedical Campus. (www.cambridge-news.co.uk)
^{^} A14 (www.cambridge-news.co.uk)