What is East West Rail?
The East West Rail (EWR) project will create a new rail link between Oxford and Cambridge. The central section – the focus of this Group – stretches between Bedford and Cambridge. The connection between Oxford and Cambridge is expected to be complete by the mid-2020s.
You may already have heard of EWR via local publicity or consultations in 2019, you may have read something online, or seen one of the signboards which are popping up locally. This post will help you to understand why we have established a Group specifically to look at this new rail line.
Who is in the Harston EWR Working Group?
Harston’s EWR Working Group comprises members of Harston Residents’ Group, Harston Parish Council, and other village residents. If you are interested in contributing to the Group, please email us.
What is the purpose of the Harston EWR Working Group?
Our aim is to inform residents about the potential impact of a major new rail line coming close to Harston.
The approximate route of the central section – Bedford to Cambridge – was decided through an advisory public consultation in January 2019. People within the central section area were given a choice of five routes, all of which enter Cambridge from the south.
Route E was chosen, with the exact line to be determined via land surveys – currently ongoing – and further public consultation (this has been delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic and will now take place in 2021). The line is currently planned to fall somewhere between Cambourne in the west to Shelford in the east, and Barton in the north to Harston in the south. The current proposals do not allow for the EWR trains to stop between Cambourne and Cambridge.
What’s the problem with Route E?
East West Rail will bring a large volume of passenger and – very probably – night-time freight rail traffic through a hitherto unspoiled section of south Cambridgeshire. We, along with many other local parish councils, residents’ associations and pressure groups in Route E, would like to see an alternative route considered. This ‘northern route’ follows an existing multi-modal travel corridor along the A428 between Cambourne and north Cambridge, and is closer to planned major housing developments. Anthony Browne, MP supports the idea that the benefits of this route should be considered.
A petition has been started by Cam-Bed-Rail-Road, a voluntary community interest group, asking the Government’s Department for Transport to consider this alternative route for the Central Section of East West Rail. Almost 5,000 people in the Route E corridor have signed the petition so far, and we urgently need your support.
What else can I do?
- Visit the East West Rail project website to learn more about the project.
- Join EWR’s ‘Community Hub’ to see greater detail and ask questions about specific areas of the project, such as the environmental impact, or why a ‘northern route’ wasn’t considered in the first place.
- Visit the websites of other local groups to hear their concerns about the impact of East West Rail in our area:Cambridge ApproachesCam-Bed-Rail-Road
- Comment below with your questions or concerns and we’ll address them at our next meeting. Alternatively, email tim@harstonparishcouncil.org.uk.
