Readers split on whether they think the East-West rail project is a …
Following the announcement of the preferred route for the Oxford-Cambridge railway line back in May 2023, the East West Rail project has received mixed views. The proposals involve a £5 billion line connecting England's two most famous university cities.
A large number of people have slammed the project, saying that it will cause multiple problems for people living in Cambridge. This includes concerns from campaign groups regarding the construction as well as residential, environmental and travel issues.
However, EWR says that this is a 'once in a generation' opportunity to open up new journeys and provide faster, reliable and more affordable public transport. They also say it will create 80,000 jobs and £4-5bn of economic growth per year.
Map showing the East West Rail preferred route choice between Bedford and Cambridge. (Image: East West Rail)
To find out what our readers think of the project, we asked them for their views on whether they think this will be a good thing or a bad thing. We've picked out a few of the comments down below and if you would still like to have your say, you can vote on our poll here[1].
"It could be the answer I am looking for"
Some of the people in the comments have backed the preferred route. They say it could help fill a gap in journeys and that it would be essential for years to come:
One person said: "I would love to be able to get to work by a combination of cycle and train. The EWR could be the answer I am looking for. On my commute, I pass a long line of people in cars coming into Cambridge that can go back almost as far as St Neots. It seems to me that it would be a great idea to get some of these people onto the train."
Another said: "We need an East-West railway so it should be built sometime. Of course, the government is involved, which means it's designed by a committee - and has to get passed by The UK Treasury - so it has many problems. But I'm still in favour, and so probably will people in 50 years' time be very grateful for it."
A third commenter added: "Yes, we should be improving our public transport infrastructure. Travelling west from Cambridge is currently not possible - one has to travel north via Leicester or south via London. The focus should be on rail not more road building."
"What is this going to improve?"
However, there are many other people who have criticised the project. Some of the commenters feel that the money spent could be going towards other areas.
One of the commenters said: "This is not about a railway, it's all about housing desperately seeking growth - and it's unsustainable. There are of course big challenges, but EWR is most definitely not the answer, not an answer. No."
Another added: "The proposed route will destroy productive farmland at a time when we should be worrying about food security, assumes extensive housing development which will destroy local chalk streams when we know that Cambridgeshire[2] is currently very short of water and will actually increase local traffic by (a) not building enough local stations and (b) cutting mutually dependent off villages from each other so that it will be necessary to drive several miles to access schools, shops, pubs and healthcare."
One person commented: "Think schools and hospitals are more important at the moment due to the latest info. [Roads will be closed] and this issue is going to increase the pollution in many villages by forcing traffic through increasing the traffic threefold, so what is this going to improve?"
You can find the latest information on the East West Rail project by visiting their website here[3]. If you would like to add your views, you can leave a comment down below: