Light rail plan could 'solve' Cambridge's congestion problems, says campaigner

A transport campaigner believes a new light rail network in Cambridge could be the answer to the city's congestion problems.

Colin Harris set up Cambridge Connect in 2016 to promote the idea for light rail and is now calling on the government to invest £5m in a study to see if it could work.

Light rail is similar to a tram network, but runs on its own segregated route rather than on existing roads.

Mr Harris said: "In recent times it's become obvious that the scale of growth in Cambridge is such that we need a better form of public transport that is reliable, and we think that light rail is the right way to go."

The light rail plan for Cambridge would cost around £800m for the first phase which includes a tunnel under the city centre to avoid damage to historical buildings.

"By taking it underground we avoid the significant heritage that would arise if you were to try and run it on the surface," said Mr Harris. "So the tunnel is really a practical measure and we recognise it's expensive.

"We think in the long term it's a good investment that will repay itself because it will enable that fast and reliable access into the city centre."

The first phase would see the light rail route run from Trumpington Park and Ride, to Addenbrooke's Hospital and then to the main Cambridge train station.

A tunnel would then take passengers from the station to the city centre and then to the west of Cambridge.

There is also a phase two of the project - taking the cost to around £1.5bn - which would extend the network to areas like Cambourne to the west of the city and Haverhill to the east.

Cambridge Connect says the money would come from public and private funding.

It is not the first time a new transport network with a tunnel under the city has been proposed.

The Cambridgeshire Autonomous Metro (CAM) was a network of electric buses proposed by the former mayor for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, James Palmer.

The project was scrapped in 2021 when he lost the election to Nik Johnson.

Mr Harris insists his idea for light rail is "completely different" to the previous scheme.

"Cambridge Autonomous Metro was a project put forward by the previous mayor of Cambridge and it was essentially a bus that was in theory going to operate autonomously," he said.

"Our project didn't support that. We think that light rail is a proven technology that already exists.

"It's actually rolled out in hundreds of cities worldwide, we know it works and it's very successful in Europe so we don't see the point in reinventing the wheel."

Cambridge Connect has written to the government to propose that £5m be included in the autumn spending review to support feasibility studies of the light rail project.

The government has acknowledged that it has received the letter.

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