What next for public transport between Cambourne and Cambridge?

On Friday 6th March a report to the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Transport Committee will outline the next steps of the proposals for public transport between Cambourne and Cambridge.

It will seek to make two recommendations.  Firstly, to get an agreement to set out a vision for the Cambridgeshire Autonomous Metro as a whole, against which the Cambourne to Cambridge scheme’s contribution to the overall CAM metro can be evaluated; and secondly, to recommend immediate public transport improvements between Cambourne and key employment sites in Cambridge which can be put in place by the end of this calendar year.

The Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority wrote to the Greater Cambridge Partnership on Monday 17th February in his capacity as Chairman of the Local Transport Authority making it clear that he does not support the GCP’s proposals for public transport between Cambourne and Cambridge in their current form.

The Combined Authority has now taken direct responsibility for the delivery of the public transport solutions for Cambridge to Cambourne.  It clear that the interaction between the proposed Cambourne to Cambridge scheme and East West Rail needs to be fully understood to ensure that the two schemes will genuinely complement each other. It is also necessary that individual components of the CAM network should be fully integrated into the overall vision for the metro. With so many transport projects underway in this area, it is critical that we who are responsible for delivery think strategically about how plans to relate to and connect with each other, to ensure the minimal disruption and the best possible service for the people and communities we serve.

The Cambourne to Cambridge scheme would not be delivering transport improvements until 2025 at the earliest but there is an immediate need to improve public transport between Cambourne and key employment sites in Cambridge.  Proposals will therefore being put forward in liaison with bus operators and other partners for short term public transport improvements between Cambourne and key employment sites in Cambridge which can be agreed and put in place as soon as possible.