Last pitch to government for rail junction upgrades

Politicians and business groups from across the East of England have made a final appeal for funding to improve two major rail junctions.

Ahead of the deadline for submissions to this year's spending review, they have written to ministers saying the upgrades at Ely and Haughley are long overdue and would play a major role in growing the economy.

It comes amid fears the government may struggle to fund many infrastructure projects because the economy is not growing as fast as it had hoped.

Improving the junctions in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk would cost more than half a billion pounds but campaigners insist the work would more than pay for itself.

Thirty-one MPs, 20 business organisations, 11 council leaders and three university vice chancellors have signed the letter to the transport secretary and chief secretary to the treasury.

In it, they call for Network Rail to be given money to start drawing up detailed plans for the work.

"These schemes have been in the pipeline for decades with the case for them strengthening year on year.

"They are now restricting growth and the country's progress to cleaner, greener transport connections," the letter says.

Rail lines from the Midlands, Cambridge, Kings Lynn, Norwich and Ipswich all meet at Ely, while Haughley, which lies to the north of Stowmarket, needs to be enlarged to accommodate the busy freight route from Felixstowe and the intercity service between Norwich and London.

The letter says improving the junctions would allow 2,900 extra freight services to run between Felixstowe and the Midlands and remove the need for 98,000 HGV journeys every year.

The work would also relieve pressure on the local road network and encourage the building of new homes along the various routes which pass through the two junctions.

The letter acknowledges the cost of the projects but claims they would pay back the investment almost five-fold, producing £4.89 of economic benefits for every pound invested.

"The high cost-benefit ratio means that this is a scheme which would really benefit not just the whole region but the whole country," says Jess Asato, the MP for Lowestoft and co-chair of the east of England parliamentary group.

There has been a long campaign to improve the two junctions. The last government promised to fund the work but Labour put it on hold, unsure where the money was coming from.

I have heard concerns from a handful of MPs that the upgrades could be further delayed because of the sluggish economy and because of pressure to make HS2 work and fund the Northern Rail project.

So this letter could come at an important time.

"We have been making this case loudly for a while, our letter is to make sure that the treasury is well appraised of the situation as it finalises the spending review" says Asato.

The spending review is due to be announced towards the end of spring.

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