East West rail prospectus launched aimed at improved services from Bury St Edmunds

A prospectus to bring better rail links in West Suffolk and across East Anglia as well as increasing jobs, the economy and managing growth has been launched.

The East West Rail Eastern Section Prospectus ambition is to connect Oxford with Cambridge with Ipswich/Norwich. This would also include improved interconnections in between to create greater connections for Suffolk and better services.

West Suffolk plays a vital role as part of the Cambridge Sub-Region, an economic driver for the UK. Improved transport links, such as rail, to Cambridge and beyond has been identified as crucial to helping bring jobs, support communities and mange housing growth.

West Suffolk Council is a member of the East West Rail Consortium and helped develop the prospectus to lobby for Government funding and support from the rail industry.

The prospectus was developed to demonstrate the wider benefits that improving journey frequency and times from Ipswich/Norwich to Cambridge will bring as well as benefits for the East Anglian economy. This includes benefits in West Suffolk, as the improvements to the Ipswich to Cambridge line will also serve Bury St Edmunds and Newmarket.

The need for these improvements in West Suffolk are clear:

• There has been significant passenger growth at both Bury St Edmunds and Newmarket and while new trains on Greater Anglia services will provide some additional capacity additional growth is constrained by the single track line from Newmarket to Cambridge.
• In the past 10 years station use has increased by 54% at Newmarket and 36% at Bury St Edmunds (ORR estimates of station usage 08/09 and 17/18)
• Half-hourly services are much needed to support growth in both Suffolk and Cambridge, the line already exists, but needs improving to deliver maximum benefits including reducing demand on the already congested A14.

The ultimate aim for West Suffolk would be a half hourly passenger rail service between Ipswich and Cambridge.

Forest Heath District councillor Lance Stanbury, Cabinet Member for Growth and Planning as well as St Edmundsbury Borough councillor David Roach, who sits on the East West Rail Consortium, said: “Improving rail links is vital for the continued growth, prosperity and supply of new jobs in West Suffolk and crucial to support the role we play in the Cambridge Sub-region, a UK economic driver.

“The prospectus has demonstrated that a direct rail link between Ipswich, Norwich and Oxford would unlock £17.5bn for the East Anglian economy and create 120,000 jobs across East Anglia, connecting high value economies in key growth locations in Suffolk and Norfolk with those in places such as Cambridge, Milton Keynes, Aylesbury and Oxford.

“West Suffolk would benefit by these improvements including more frequent services for Newmarket and Bury St Edmunds. The demand is clearly there and this is set to increase as more businesses in West Suffolk expand or make our area their home. We will now be using this to lobby for the improvements we need.”

Over the next two years, the East West Rail Consortium will build on the strong business case that has already been presented in this rail prospectus.

The consortium will work with Network Rail, Greater Anglia, Local Enterprise Partnerships, Transport East and the Department for Transport to identify funding streams and rail solutions to improve rail links between Suffolk/Norfolk and Cambridge which in turn helps West Suffolk residents and businesses.

Pictured above are councillors Lance Stanbury and Susan Glossop at Bury St Edmunds railway station.