Malcolm Moss MP welcomes recommendation to open new train line to Wisbech

Local MP Malcolm Moss has welcomed a report from the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) identifying Wisbech as one of fourteen towns in England that would benefit the most from a new rail line. The ATOC report has looked at the market for opening new train lines across England , and assessed each proposed route according to a cost-benefit formula.

Main findings of the report:

• There are fourteen communities in England with a population of over 15,000 where the benefits of opening a new rail line would exceed the costs. In a further six cases a new line could still be justified although they did not meet ATOC’s cost-benefit criteria. Among these six is a proposed rail line between March and Spalding.
• The cost-benefit formula included demographic analysis of forecasted population growth, percentage of work trips by rail, station usage, and number of settlements (more than 15,000) not rail connected.
• ATOC has estimated that once agreed to, and once funding has been secured, completing the rail line could take from three to six years. Compared with the time it takes to complete other rail lines (20 years for new high speed lines and 10 years for upgrading the West Coast Main Line), this is a relatively short period of time.

Malcolm Moss MP said: “I am very pleased with ATOC’s finding of a strong business case for re-opening the rail link to Wisbech. Re-connecting Wisbech to the rail network will benefit thousands of people, and may bring more businesses and jobs to the local area. I will be campaigning for the conclusions of this report to be taken forward, and will contact the local councils immediately for more detailed discussions on how to proceed.”