The Mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, Dr. Nik Johnson, enjoyed a tour and progress update of the Cambridgeshire rail network on Friday the 13th of October, alongside partners from the rail industry.
The tour began at Peterborough station, which has seen a partnership made up of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority, Network Rail, London North Eastern Railway and Peterborough City Council achieve £30 million funding via the Government's Levelling Up Transport Fund.
The funding will be used to transform the station and its surrounding area under proposals which aim to bring improvements made to both passenger and retail facilities. The proposals also include the release of land as part of the station quarter and would see redevelopment for commercial usage, which aims to drive employment and the local economy.
During the tour, the Mayor also got the chance to enjoy a trip in the driver's cab of a CrossCountry Class 170 Turbostar train and travelled from Peterborough to Cambridge. The Turbostar trains have recently undergone refurbishment to both interior and exterior in order to provide improved customer experience for those travelling between Birmingham New Street and Stansted Airport.
The end of the tour took place at Cambridge signal box, where the Mayor learned how signallers operate the majority of the Cambridgeshire networks each day! Upgrade work has recently been carried out by Network Rail in order to remove a speed restriction for those travelling through Whittlesea.
The replacement of signalling equipment in the Cambridgeshire areas is seeing approximately £200m invested and will provide increased reliability for passengers and see the railway fitted with state-of-the-art operating equipment.
Dr Nik Johnson, Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said:
“The Peterborough Station Quarter redevelopment is part of a major investment in vital infrastructure that the Combined Authority has been instrumental in securing, and it was great to see for myself efforts to upgrade rail services to match the new station.”
“This is a key portal for the East of England and making rail travel ever better for leisure, tourism, and industry is a key priority.”
Katie Frost, Network Rail Anglia route director, said:
“The railway in the Cambridge area is vital to the economies and communities we serve. We're grateful the Mayor took the time to see how we operate this busy railway and to talk about our plans for improving it.”
John Robson, CrossCountry's Regional Director for the East Midlands and East Anglia, said:
“The Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority forms a critical corridor on our route between the Midlands and Stansted Airport. It's fantastic to show the Mayor this from the driving seat, as we work to deliver more frequent services on the route in future.”
“We're also working hard on the refurbishment of trains in use between the Midlands and Stansted Airport, giving passengers the uplift in quality and comfort they deserve on this important CrossCountry route.”
Great to see the upgrades but it raises one question. Why is it the so called council mayor can get a CAB RIDE when the end user i.e. passenger cannot? Would Cross Country offer the same honour to such as me, “I think not”, I look forward to a reply from the train company.