Ely: Railway Funding

10 July 2012, 11:48 | Updated: 10 July 2012, 12:00

Funding from the European Parliament should lead to fewer delays to trains passing through Ely.

£3.8 million is being spent on extra track close to Ely station, which will help speed up freight trains travelling between Ipswich and Peterborough that are passing through the area.

This is expected to lead to fewer delays to passenger trains passing through the Ely area, including busy commuter services from Kings Lynn to Cambridge and London King's Cross.

The Ely track upgrade is one of 41 rail schemes agreed across Europe this year from a £100 million European Parliament funding pot.

Labour MEP for the East Richard Howitt said: "Having fought to get east-west rail services from Felixstowe via Peterborough on the priority list for European funding, this is a fantastic success which will help our businesses and improve rail services for everyone.

This is a project ready to start straight away which the Government has accepted is a 'critical bottleneck,' and I hope they have the good grace to give credit to the European contribution. 

It is good for the environment to get freight off the road and on to rail, and even better with the region's busy commuter services benefitting too."