Minister 'committed' to Ely junction but no funds yet

A transport minister has insisted the government is committed to improving a key railway junction "as quickly as possible" but only when the funding is available.

Lillian Greenwood told Parliament a proposed upgrade at Ely North junction in Cambridgeshire, which keeps missing out on government money, was still in the pipeline, but its complexity had made it very expensive.

Campaigners have long argued that improving the junction, where five rail lines meet, would make it possible to run more trains, particularly freight services and would have a dramatic impact on the local economy.

But local MPs from all parties expressed frustration the project was taking so long to get off the ground.

Lines from Norwich, Cambridge, King's Lynn, Peterborough and Ipswich all meet at Ely North junction.

People first started talking about improving it back in 2000.

By 2011, politicians including South West Norfolk's Conservative MP Liz Truss looked at bringing together local councils and business leaders.

Since then, there have been numerous meetings, reports written and several ministerial visits to Ely station.

In the summer, the government announced plans to spend £725bn on infrastructure projects over the next decade but there was no mention about upgrading the two key rail junctions at Ely and at Haughley junction in Suffolk.

Charlotte Cane, the Liberal Democrat MP for Ely and East Cambridgeshire who led the debate in the House of Commons, told the minister that rail and passenger groups, the business community and local politicians were "very frustrated" they will now have to wait for the next spending review, expected in 2027, to find out if the scheme was eligible for funding.

She reeled off a string of statistics about the cost-benefit ratio and the impact it would have on reliability, passenger numbers, freight services and the environment.

"This is a truly national project with national benefits," she said.

"The government has been very keen to stress its growth credentials and continues to search for a silver bullet to grow the economy quickly.

"While Ely junction is not a silver bullet, it can certainly help the government in its quest."

The transport minister accepted the junction played an essential role in the national rail network and was an important gateway to the Port of Felixstowe in Suffolk.

She assured MPs that a failure to allocate funding so far "is not the end of the road".

"This scheme is in the pipeline of future enhancements and will be reconsidered as further funding becomes available," she said.

She attacked the last Conservative government for promising to fund the project "knowing full well with a general election on the horizon that there was no funding to deliver".

"This government is committed to delivering infrastructure with the greatest benefit to passengers, freight and the wider economy as quickly as possible and within a fully funded and deliverable programme," she added.

She warned the project would be expensive and complicated with 44 level crossings in the area needing to be upgraded as well improvements to bridges and signalling.

She suggested campaigners may want to update the business case for the junction and consider if private money could play a part in funding the project.

The minister confirmed what most people had already assumed — that Ely North junction would not appear on any list for government funding anytime soon.

For now it will be left to business leaders and local politicians to see if anything can be done to try to move this scheme forward.