Cambridge light rail study launched

The Cambridge Growth Company (CGC), set up by the government in 2024, has commissioned a study to investigate which mode of transport is appropriate for the city and its surrounding area, taking into account feasibility, deliverability, value for money and environmental impact. Trams and light rail will be included in the analysis as well as busways and automated vehicles. The study will narrow down the options identified in last year’s Mass Rapid Transit Study and aims to produce a business case for the preferred way forward. The government has already announced £500M for Cambridge to expand housing, business and infrastructure. 

 

Philip Harker, Technical Director of CGC, said, ‘Congestion in Cambridge is already holding back our communities and our economy. Employers are telling us that their investment decisions are being delayed until credible solutions are found’. 

 

Cambridge Connect, set up in 2015, and supported by Mayor Paul Bristow, has already published plans for a 22-mile two-line (35km) light rail system that would link P+R and employment sites with the city centre and integrate with heavy rail services. It included a 2.6km subway under the central area. The system would require investment of about £1.4bn.