Ian Sollom MP welcomes changes to East West Rail tunnelling plans, after months of calling for improvements

Liberal Democrat MP for St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire, Ian Sollom, has today welcomed a decision by East West Rail (EWR) to change its tunnelling plans for Caldecote from ‘cut and cover’ to a mined tunnel.

Ian has held regular meetings with EWR representatives to discuss how it can improve the project for his constituents and has also written to them with specific concerns from working groups in the local community.

In a letter earlier this year, Ian specifically requested that EWR agree to a “full evaluation of a mined and/or bored tunnel before proceeding further”, citing concerns about the "disruption to local residents, future residents of the Bourn Airfield Development, as well as users of the A428” that will be caused by the proposed cut and cover tunnel.

EWR has also decided to relocate the proposed station at Cambourne to 1km west of the site previously proposed, to a location north-east of the A428/Cambourne Road double roundabout.

Ian said: “I welcome this decision by EWR to change its tunnelling plans. This will reduce the disruption for residents in Highfields Caldecote in the years it will take to build the new train line.

“I also welcome EWR’s approach east of St Neots, leaving open the possibility of a St Neots East station in the future.

“There are however further improvements that I will continue to press EWR and the Government for.

“Trains on East West rail should be electric, not diesel. While I am not opposed to ‘discontinuous electrification’ in principle, a newly built line should be properly electrified from the start. This must not be a way of sneaking diesel trains onto the line.”