Boost for train services to Peterborough after pledge to upgrade rail bottlenecks

Train services into Peterborough are to get a boost after the government announced improvements to two major rail bottlenecks.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s decision to halt completion of the HS2 rail project will see funding made available to the long-awaited upgrade of the Ely North and Haughley Junctions.

The upgrades, which will be funded through a share of the £36 billion saved by scrapping the HS2 London to Manchester link, are expected allow more regular and faster passenger services from Peterborough, Kings Lynn, Norwich, Ipswich and Cambridge.

Freight services from Felixstowe to the Midlands will be able to take a direct route through Ely, rather than be directed through London, making the rail network in the east far more efficient.

The move has been welcomed by business and political leaders although it is not clear when the upgrades will happen.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Mayor Nik Johnson said: “So many of us here in the East of England have been championing an upgraded Ely Junction for many years, so the confirmation that we can at last get to work will be widely welcomed."Locally, it means greater rail connectivity across the East of England, boosting travel for leisure, tourism, and industry.

"Nationally, upgrading this out of date junction will connect major international ports in Felixstowe and London with distribution hubs in the Midlands, the North, and beyond.

He said: “Crucially, in allowing more goods to be transported by freight, an upgraded Ely Junction removes 98,000 lorries from the road each year.

"As well as massively improving air quality, and reducing CO2 emissions, this work will also reduce congestion by 5.6 million hours annually, including on critical routes like the A14.

James Palmer, chairman of the Eastern Powerhouse, which was set up last year to attract more government funding for the East of England, said: “We are delighted with the investment into Ely North and Haughley Junctions.

This will improve the lives of so many people and businesses and will remove terrible constraints on growth in the East.

Mr Palmer added: “These upgrades will have a very positive effect on trade all over the UK and not just the East.”