County residents speak of East West Rail concerns

Elizabeth Swan said she was left "dumbfounded" when East West Rail began asking questions about her flat

A nurse said she had been left in limbo after being sent a letter suggesting she would be impacted by a multibillion-pound railway scheme.

East West Rail (EWR) aims to connect Oxford and Cambridge via Bedford, with a section of track impacting parts of south Cambridgeshire.

Elizabeth Swan, 71, from Cambridge, was sent a "land interest" questionnaire earlier this year and told she could have more trains pass her home during the night.

The EWR company, which was set up by the last government but is run at arms-length, said the project would improve connectivity and boost investment.

A statutory consultation was due to start this month, but has been delayed until after the general election.

'Gathering exercise'

East West Rail has proposed a route that goes south before reaching Cambridge

Ms Swan got in touch via Your Voice, Your Vote to tell us that EWR was an important issue in the South Cambridgeshire constituency.

In April, EWR sent a letter to her flat in the suburb of Cherry Hinton, which is near to an existing railway track.

"I was dumbfounded and thought this sounds like they want to buy my flat," she said.

"When I spoke to somebody at EWR, they said it might be that there'll be an increase in freight trains overnight."

Land interest questionnaires are typically sent to homeowners who may be impacted by large-scale projects.

EWR said they were a "gathering exercise only".

Stephen Mallinson said we should "think carefully" about how public money is spent

The proposed rail route goes through several Cambridgeshire villages before stopping at a new Cambridge South station.

Stephen Mallinson, 66, from Little Eversden, said there should be an independent inquiry into the route.

"EWR have chosen the most disruptive, the most expensive, the most environmentally-damaging route into Cambridge that we could have found," he said.

"If it turns out there is a net benefit, let's look at which is the best route into Cambridge."

Sixteen parish councils have objected to the plans, including Little Eversden, Great Shelford, Harston and Haslingfield.

Lorna Sorrentino said it was a "nightmare" having EWR interested in her land

Lorna Sorrentino, 70, added she was "in limbo" over EWR's plans to build on her land, near the village of Harston.

"They keep surveying my land, then they want to start digging. It's a nightmare."

She said an independent review was necessary to "think very clearly" before spending billions of pounds.

"I've lost a lot of sleep over this," she said. "Let's think about the legacy we're leaving everybody's grandchildren and great-grandchildren."

What the candidates say

The upcoming election means East West Rail has postponed a statutory consultation due in June

We asked the candidates looking to be the next MP in South Cambridgeshire about EWR and they had mixed views about the project.

Their responses are listed below in alphabetical order by surname.

• Chris Carter-Chapman, from the Conservatives, said the route was in the "wrong place". He called for it to take a northern route via the new town of Northstowe instead.

• Miranda Fyfe, from the Green Party, said she wanted EWR to be "stopped ASAP", adding: "I want to see public money put towards other solutions for travel between Bedford, St Neots, Cambourne and Cambridge."

• James Gordon, Independent, said EWR was "bonkers" and a "waste of public money". He said the next government should "pull the plug on EWR".

• Pippa Heylings, for the Liberal Democrats, said the project was a "botched job" and "hugely environmentally damaging", but supported the need for electrified railways.

• Labour's Luke Viner said EWR was a "good idea" in principle, but wanted the line to run on electricity, rather than diesel, and for there to be an additional station.

Harrison Edwards, standing for Reform UK, did not respond to requests for comment.

What East West Rail says

A spokesman for East West Rail said the company did not want to provide a comment for our story, due to the upcoming general election.

However, the goals of the project are presented on its website.

"We aim to unlock sustainable economic growth – attracting investment in the UK, connecting businesses, creating jobs and making the communities between Oxford and Cambridge a place that people want to live, work and settle down," it says.

In a video on YouTube, it says the southern approach "remains the preferred option as it best meets the project objectives".

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