Cambridge is the most intensive innovation cluster in Europe. Its success is crucial to the Government’s economic and housing growth ambitions.
But Cambridge doesn’t sit in isolation. It is surrounded, from all point of the compass, by other cities, towns, airports and ports which can play a pivotal role in supercharging the UK economy.
Unlocking better rail connectivity between these places will act as a catalyst for transformational economic and housing growth.
It will also transform international trade and the movement of goods by increasing the amount of rail freight able to travel up and down the whole country from Felixstowe and the Thameside ports, cutting congestion caused by HGVs on our roads and making a huge economic contribution to the country.
Achieving this requires addressing rail bottlenecks in and around Cambridgeshire and East of England.
This starts with the junction improvements around Ely – providing the foundation upon which other enhancements can build.
England's Economic Heartland has worked with Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, Transport East and many partners to set out the case for unblocking rail bottlenecks in Cambridgeshire and the East of England.
In May 2026 we shared these plans with delegates at UKREiiF. We will continue to work with partners to make the strongest case for The Growth Intersection. Watch this space!
The proposals for a transformation in passenger and freight services include upgrades in the Ely area alongside other interventions across the region. The table above sets out the benefits that each of The Growth Intersection interventions could unlock. We are not proposing these interventions must be delivered simultaneously: they provide an ambitious vision for what the rail network could achieve to unlock unprecedented economic and housing growth. Everything starts with the interventions around Ely. As the graphic above illustrates, Ely is the foundation on which other improvements are built.