Support given to report supporting ambitious £4 billion metro link

Council leaders in West Suffolk have welcomed a report supporting a new £4 billion Cambridgeshire Autonomous Metro linking Cambridge to Haverhill and Mildenhall.

Improving transport links will help the economy in the area as well as supporting growth, jobs and the economy.

The Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC), published this week, found the Cambridgeshire Autonomous Metro (CAM) would unlock significant growth, offers high value for money and would provide the transformational change required to the area’s under-pressure transport network.

The report was commissioned by the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority and has been welcomed by its mayor, James Palmer, as evidence that the delivery of CAM offers a world class, sustainable transport solution that will support ambitions for the future growth of the whole area.

West Suffolk councils have been working closely with the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.

James Waters, leader of Forest Heath District Council and John Griffiths, leader of St Edmundsbury Borough Council, said: “We are pleased to see the recognition in the report for the metro that West Suffolk and in particular Haverhill and Mildenhall play in the UK economy as part of the Cambridge Sub-region.

“We have been working closely with the Combined Authority as well as partner authorities on the need for transport improvements, better connectivity and the opportunities West Suffolk offers for business and the economy. Anyone who travels on the A11 and A1307 regularly knows the need for much better public transport links for our communities and businesses. We look forward to helping take forward this ambitious plan for the Cambridgeshire Autonomous Metro and linking it to Mildenhall and Haverhill.”