Investment in east-west rail across the Oxford to Cambridge arc and onwards into East Anglia remains critical to support regional growth despite the impact of Covid-19 on travel patterns, a webinar heard on Monday.
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The pandemic has seen significant reductions in rail patronage following the Government’s message last March to avoid public transport.
But, asked this week how changes to travel behaviour have affected the business case for delivering a new East West Mainline, sub national transport body England’s Economic Heartland’s head of technical programmes Naomi Green said: “I think we need to see the current situation as short term.
“There is an opportunity as we come out of the pandemic to think about what a future looks like where we are decarbonising the transport system. The only way of doing that is if there are viable alternatives to the car,” she told Monday’s session, which kicked off a week long programme of ‘spotlight’ events focusing on the development of east-west rail connectivity.
The sub national transport body is expected to publish its transport strategy next month, which will include an ambition to achieve transport decarbonisation before 2050, and ideally by 2040.
Naomi Green added that east-west rail will be “the catalyst for transformational growth” in the region’s public transport system – which currently uses mainly radial routes focused around London.
“That’s not what we need now; we need to reinvigorate the east-west connectivity and the economy will absolutely thrive from doing that.”
A further key priority in the EEH transport strategy will be to boost first and last mile connectivity, with particular focus on improving sustainable walking and cycling infrastructure.
Also addressing the session, sub national transport body Transport East – which covers East Anglia – strategic director Andrew Summers described it as “absolutely fundamental” that the case for east-west rail continues to be supported.
“Decarbonisation is one of the many reasons for doing so,” he said, adding “firms are really wanting increased connectivity” and noting that young people who “are going to be providing that workforce of tomorrow” demand high frequency public transport with fast journey times.
(Photograph: Mattbuck and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence)
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