"With a genuine partnership between local leaders, government, academia and industry, alongside the trust and confidence which certainty over investment will unlock, this region can be a trailblazer for economic growth across the UK."
In response to the announcements within the Chancellor's Spending Review, England's Economic Heartland Chair, Cllr Liz Leffman, said: “Today’s Spending Review provides further evidence of the Government’s commitment to the EEH region, including East West Rail.
"Multi-year transport funding for local authorities - which we have advocated for some time - is also welcomed.
"It is now vital for businesses and local authorities that positive announcements are made at pace on the future of other priorities, including investing in vital projects such as Ely Junction, Cowley Branch Line and the region's key bottlenecks on our roads. We will continue to work with DfT and its agencies to make the strongest case for this investment as part of future rail and roads funding plans.
"As minister Lord Vallance has said, there is an enormous prize at hand if we can unleash the region’s potential. Improved transport is key to this. With a genuine partnership between local leaders, government, academia and industry, alongside the trust and confidence which certainty over investment will unlock, this region can be a trailblazer for economic growth across the UK.
"This region, covering the whole of the Oxford to Cambridge Growth Corridor, presents an outstanding opportunity for Government to demonstrate how it is taking an integrated and innovative approach to unlocking growth. Upgrading Ely Junction not only improves the way goods are transported across the country: it reduces congestion, it cuts emissions, and it significantly improves passenger services. East West Rail isn’t just about trains between Oxford and Cambridge – it must be integrated into improvements into the wider transport system across the region, including onward rail connections, enhanced bus services, mass rapid transit and key road upgrades.”
