Councillors express support for rail station in east of Cambridge

Councillors have indicated their support for a Cambridge East station which could be created under plans for a railway turnback facility in the city as part of East West Rail.

They argue that one of the likely areas of major development is the Cambridge Airport site and a railway station could provide the long-term means of sustainable transport in the area.

The turnback facility at Cherry Hinton is proposed to reduce the impact on Cambridge’s main railway station and avoid disruptive works there.

This would mean passengers would alight at Cambridge station and trains continue east to Cherry Hinton to turn around, rather than at Cambridge.

A report to Cambridge City Council said the turnback creates a “potential opportunity” for a new station in the vicinity of Cambridge Airport site, which is proposed to accommodate 7,000 homes when Marshall relocates the airport by the end of the decade to Cranfield in Bedfordshire.

Cllr Dave Baigent (Lab, Romsey) told the council’s planning and transport scrutiny committee on last Tuesday: “The station in the area of Cherry Hinton is much needed, it’s sad that it ever disappeared, but now needs to come back and whilst there’s still space.

“It may be a good idea to look at some way of doing that before too much development goes on in that area. There is going to be huge amounts of development in the next 15 to 20 years. There already is, and that is an important point.”

Cllr Tim Bick (Lib Dem, Market) pointed out that any plans would need to be carefully consulted on in terms of its implications to surrounding residents, but said the opportunity needs to be “pushed hard” for.

“Although I confess that I can’t really say I’m familiar with what a turnback facility really looks like, and how it relates to a station on the east side of Cambridge, if there is a possible marrying up of these things, then that would be excellent.”

He added: “The point being that one of the likely areas of major development on the edge of Cambridge is the Cambridge Airport site and it’s the one side of the city that we have not on the table at the moment, a long-term means of enabling volume sustainable transport, and that subject has been parked by the Greater Cambridge Partnership because of the dependency on the development on the airport side itself.

“But it is down the road a challenge – how to provide that sustainable transport encouragement, and one of the key things that is in our favour is that there is an existing alignment for sustainable transport, and it’s the railway. So the opportunity needs to be something that we put our foot in the door very assertively on because it would fit incredibly well strategically with what is likely to happen with development in the city.”

Council officers say a potential Cambridge East could have a “transformative impact on connectivity” in and out of the area.