MPs on the East of England All-Party Parliamentary Group have written to the new Secretary of State for Transport urging the improvements to Ely Junction go ahead as part of the forthcoming Spending Year.
The letter to Heidi Alexander was also signed by EEH Chair, Cllr Liz Leffman, and Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Dr Nik Johnson. It included the revised Keeping Trade on Track document, produced by EEH and Transport East, which highlights the overwhelming case for the scheme to:
Improve the performance on the railways - By increasing capacity and reducing bottlenecks, and stimulating 277,000 extra rail passenger journeys per year. The scheme has a remarkably high benefit-cost ratio, returning £4.89 of benefits for every £1 invested.
Transform infrastructure to work for the whole country - The new freight services will primarily serve freight terminals in the Midlands, North and Scotland, reduce pressure on London’s rail network, and reduce congestion by 5.6 million hours per year. (Ely is referenced in the strategies of Transport for London, Transport for the North and Midlands Connect)
Deliver greener transport - By supporting modal shift to rail, Ely will remove the need for 98,000 HGV journeys every year, reducing carbon emissions by 1.7m tonnes of CO2 over 60 years.