Following the Government announcement today of the opening date
for Cambridge South railway station, Mayor of Cambridgeshire and
Peterborough , has
given the following statement:
said: “Cambridge Biomedical
Campus is busy and growing, with 23,000 jobs and three
world-class hospitals helping over 1 million people every year.
With up to nine trains per hour and all passing services
stopping, Cambridge South will make a
real difference from day
one.
“But it's also the
difference it will make in the future.
The campus already contributes more
than £4.7 billion to the
UK economy, and could rise to
£18.2 billion with another 20,000 jobs on
top. That kind
of growth cannot happen without
better infrastructure like
this.
“Serving
a world-leading life sciences
sector, Cambridge South will
bring London,
Stansted Airport and international
markets closer, supporting the investment and
skilled people we need, and
creating opportunities
locally too.
“The Combined Authority has played its
part. We put in early funding specifically
to help bring this station forward ahead of
East West Rail, with
benefits arriving years sooner than
they otherwise would. It's a
good example of what we can do to speed up
infrastructure delivery.
"But Cambridge South
alone won't solve the
transport challenge in and around the
city. Options for a mass rapid transit system, like
light rail, is currently being explored, and East
West Rail now has a proposed Cambridge East station,
and a new western entrance to
Cambridge Central station on the table. This
is the scale of investment we need if we want our economy to
really fly.
“Our Local Growth Plan sets
out my ambition to triple the size of the regional
economy by 2050. Upgraded transport infrastructure is a
big part of how we get there.
"Cambridge South is an important
step. Now let's keep pushing."
