New Haverhill Route

[CMS1]

As often mentioned, Haverhill needs a railway link to Cambridge. Obviously the big issue is the cost, and mainly the cost & complexity of crossing the A11 comes up. Here's an alternative - instead of the old alignment, use a new alignment that spurs off after crossing the A11, which gives 2 options - build a line from the Cambridge-Newmarket line, from after its crossed the A11 (Six Mile Bottom) to north Haverhill, or a new line from Great Chesterford to west Haverhill. The other big advantage is its about 8 miles (north line) or 10 miles (west line) instead of 14.

The Cambridge-Newmarket line itself merits investment with lots of development opportunity, inc new stations and passing loops or doubling where possible, which would facilitate the Haverhill traffic. There are already development plans for Six Mile Bottom, so if there was a station here, it would also make Haverhill-Newmarket and beyond possible (with a change).

The Gt Chesterford option has the advantage of London connections. There could also be north Saffron Walden station since it won't go to Audley End. Whilst not as direct as the old line to Gt Shelford, it could be similar time due to WAML line speed, and the extra advantage of London connections by having a line straight to the WAML is significant.

 

[Magdalia]

Haverhill needs a railway link to Cambridge.

Haverhill needs better public transport links with Cambridge, that doesn't have to be a railway.

Obviously the big issue is the cost, and mainly the cost & complexity of crossing the A11 comes up.

I agree.

Here's an alternative - instead of the old alignment, use a new alignment that spurs off after crossing the A11, which gives 2 options - build a line from the Cambridge-Newmarket line, from after its crossed the A11 (Six Mile Bottom) to north Haverhill, or a new line from Great Chesterford to west Haverhill. The other big advantage is its about 8 miles (north line) or 10 miles (west line) instead of 14.

Both routes are very indirect. Both routes also cut across some quite hilly terrain, if you look at the Ordnance Survey you will see that there are lots of contour lines (the old line stuck close to the River Granta, but still involved quite a lot of climbing between Linton and Haverhill). Neither route serves Granta Park or Babraham.

The Cambridge-Newmarket line itself merits investment with lots of development opportunity, inc new stations and passing loops or doubling where possible, which would facilitate the Haverhill traffic.

The Newmarket line may get redoubled, but there will still be capacity constraints at the Cambridge end. Bear in mind that any additional capacity is likely to be partly taken up by freight to/from Felixstowe. Also the Newmarket line does not pass through Cambridge South, which is key for Haverhill, as it is already a popular place to live for hospital workers.

There are already development plans for Six Mile Bottom

There is nothing at Six Mile Bottom in the Greater Cambridge draft local plan. There is a proposal for development next to the A11 at Grange Farm, but that is a long way south of Six Mile Bottom, and not far north of Granta Park.

The Gt Chesterford option has the advantage of London connections.

South of Great Chesterford the WAML climbs up above the west side of the River Cam valley to get to Littlebury Tunnel. This route replaces an expensive crossing over the A11 with an expensive crossing over the River Cam between Great Chesterford and Littlebury.

On the other hand, I do think that a railway link between Cambridge and Haverhill should be looked at again. A lot has changed since it was dismissed as an option in the Cambridge South East Transport project.

In particular, only this week there were some very interesting comments by Peter Freeman, chair of the Cambridge Growth Company, at a meeting with local councillors:

Cambridge 150,000 homes plan may include other counties

The number is "not a daft figure" but could include parts of Bedfordshire and Suffolk, an official says.

www.bbc.co.uk

The plan for 150,000 new homes in Greater Cambridge was "probably not a daft figure" but could include parts of other counties, a senior official has said.

The government wants the homes built by 2050 and Chancellor Rachel Reeves says the Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor has "the potential to be Europe's Silicon Valley".

But when asked at a South Cambridgeshire District Council meeting about the 150,000 figure, Peter Freeman, the chairman of the Cambridge Growth Company, said the area may include Tempsford, 22 miles away in Bedfordshire, and Haverhill, 17 miles away in Suffolk.

 

[CMS1]

Thanks for your response. Is the Cam a big obstacle? Not a big river with lots of road bridges. I do think this option could be a double whammy (in this positive sense!) for Haverhill by providing both a fast Cambridge and London link.

 

[Magdalia]

Thanks for your response. Is the Cam a big obstacle? Not a big river with lots of road bridges.

The main factor is the height difference because the existing line is near to river level just north of Great Chesterford but then climbs up the west side of the valley to gain height to reach Littlebury Tunnel (this was 19th century NIMBYism, but that's another story). But there are roads both sides of the River Cam too, the old A11 on the railway side being in the valley bottom. It would need a viaduct and/or a very big embankment. It would be comparable to the Great Wall of Cambridgeshire across the River Rhee that was part of earlier EWR proposals.

 

[aron2smith]

Of the 2 options, much prefer the link to Great Chesterford, as with well timed trains, it could connect Haverhill to London as well as stations towards Stevenage and East West Rail with one change. The latter 2 at Cambridge South/ Addenbrookes. Haverhill is very much a Cambridge dormitory now but any new transport would really benefit the town if it connected far beyond Cambridge. I think the northern option doesn't do that as the line via Newmarket would require a lot of upgrades, the frequency is fairly limited currently and full of single track sections. And if that was the only option, a Cambridge metro/ tram would be a better option.

I would like to see provision for any railway to Haverhill also restore the link back to Sudbury eventually, greatly improving connections with Colchester and the rest of Essex.

A bit of a shame space can't be created in Haverhill so that section of old rail alignment could be reused. The station was broadly where Tesco and its massive carpark is now, neighbouring stores and a cinema also use land in a poor wasteful way. The old rail alignment is a footpath today but only big enough for singletrack unfortunately.

I had a close look at the Stagecoach 13 bus timetable to Cambridge the other day, it now somehow spends nearly 50 minutes doing a circuit of Haverhill before it even leaves the town! And still another hour before it reaches the centre of Cambridge! Clearly not adequate for a growing town.

 

[CMS1]

Agree its better. I think it could be done economically, just a single unelectrified track to a single platform at Haverhill (which could still accomodate 2tph if needed). It would be a good case for a BEMU as there's more than enough time under wires to charge for the Haverhill branch.

bit of a shame space can't be created in Haverhill so that section of old rail alignment could be reused.

How much benefit will a station in the town centre bring if its mainly commuter traffic? It will add a lot of cost and lengthen the journey.

I would forget a Saffron Walden station as it won't be significantly closer to town than Audley End (which already offers 3tph to Cambridge), and can't imagine the Haverhill-Saffron Walden traffic itself is enough to justify the cost.

 

[Magdalia]

The old rail alignment is a footpath today but only big enough for singletrack unfortunately.

The old railway was single track, with passing loops at Linton and Bartlow.

I had a close look at the Stagecoach 13 bus timetable to Cambridge the other day, it now somehow spends nearly 50 minutes doing a circuit of Haverhill before it even leaves the town! And still another hour before it reaches the centre of Cambridge!

But did you look at the X13? Some X13 journeys do Addenbrookes-Haverhill Sainsburys in 30 minutes, and overall the X13, 13 and 13A give almost 40 buses per weekday. The fastest train Cambridge-Haverhill was 34 minutes, and there were 7 trains per day.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 1 Feb 2026 ==

I don't sharpen my crayons very often but the Great Chesterford option has got me thinking! I think that it can be improved as follows.

There is a short section of the West Anglia line, south of Whittlesford Parkway but north of Duxford Ciba-Geigy sidings, which is on the east side of the River Cam. Make a junction there, which avoids the need for a new bridge over the River Cam. Then take a new line across the northern edge of the Wellcome Genome Campus expansion land in the draft local plan. This is basically the triangle of land between the A11 and the A1301 north of Stump Cross and east of Hinxton. This would be a good location for a station. Then cross the A11 about a mile north of Stump Cross, which would be a much easier location to build a bridge than where the old railway crossed the A11. From there head east, starting roughly along the Cambs/Essex border, to rejoin the old railway on the southern edge of Linton, where there would be a station near the bypass. This could avoid the need to demolish any buildings in Linton that have been built on or close to the old alignment, which would then be used to the edge of Haverhill.

This would need about 5 miles of new railway and about 7-8 miles of railway on the old alignment. It would give a reasonably direct route between Haverhill and Cambridge. It would serve the Wellcome Genome Campus expansion, which is difficult for the existing railway because of flood plain issues. The crossing of the A11 would be relatively simple, compared with other locations. Haverhill and Linton could have interchange with London trains at Whittlesford Parkway, where redevelopment is proposed in the draft local plan. Whittlesford Parkway can be made much more suitable for this than Great Chesterford.

Unfortunately my capabilities don't include digital crayons, so I can't provide a map with a line on it!

 

[RailWonderer]

The old railway was single track, with passing loops at Linton and Bartlow.


But did you look at the X13? Some X13 journeys do Addenbrookes-Haverhill Sainsburys in 30 minutes, and overall the X13, 13 and 13A give almost 40 buses per weekday. The fastest train Cambridge-Haverhill was 34 minutes, and there were 7 trains per day.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 1 Feb 2026 ==

I don't sharpen my crayons very often but the Great Chesterford option has got me thinking! I think that it can be improved as follows.

There is a short section of the West Anglia line, south of Whittlesford Parkway but north of Duxford Ciba-Geigy sidings, which is on the east side of the River Cam. Make a junction there, which avoids the need for a new bridge over the River Cam. Then take a new line across the northern edge of the Wellcome Genome Campus expansion land in the draft local plan. This is basically the triangle of land between the A11 and the A1301 north of Stump Cross and east of Hinxton. This would be a good location for a station. Then cross the A11 about a mile north of Stump Cross, which would be a much easier location to build a bridge than where the old railway crossed the A11. From there head east, starting roughly along the Cambs/Essex border, to rejoin the old railway on the southern edge of Linton, where there would be a station near the bypass. This could avoid the need to demolish any buildings in Linton that have been built on or close to the old alignment, which would then be used to the edge of Haverhill.

This would need about 5 miles of new railway and about 7-8 miles of railway on the old alignment. It would give a reasonably direct route between Haverhill and Cambridge. It would serve the Wellcome Genome Campus expansion, which is difficult for the existing railway because of flood plain issues. The crossing of the A11 would be relatively simple, compared with other locations. Haverhill and Linton could have interchange with London trains at Whittlesford Parkway, where redevelopment is proposed in the draft local plan. Whittlesford Parkway can be made much more suitable for this than Great Chesterford.

Unfortunately my capabilities don't include digital crayons, so I can't provide a map with a line on it!

Something like this? Drawn with my mostly steady fingers on my wireless trackpad and an online map annotator.

 

[David Burrows]

All this is very well if one wants to go to Cambridge station, which is unfortunately nowhere near the city centre, to which the buses from Haverhill go. By the time one has walked or caught a bus from station to city centre would there be any advantage? Fine if one only wants to continue by train from Cambridge. Is a station site available near centre of Haverhill? If not will people walk to the station rather than catch a bus from nearer where they live? How often could one run this train service? If not more frequently than the bus service is it worth it?

 

[Magdalia]

Something like this?

Thanks, something very like that. You have even managed to show the Wellcome Genome Campus expansion land! The old railway actually follows a slightly more indirect route east of Linton.

All this is very well if one wants to go to Cambridge station, which is unfortunately nowhere near the city centre, to which the buses from Haverhill go. By the time one has walked or caught a bus from station to city centre would there be any advantage? Fine if one only wants to continue by train from Cambridge. Is a station site available near centre of Haverhill? If not will people walk to the station rather than catch a bus from nearer where they live? How often could one run this train service? If not more frequently than the bus service is it worth it?

The buses from Haverhill may go to the old city, but most of the passengers get off at Addenbrookes, Long Road, Hills Road and Station Road Corner. Similarly that's where the buses going to Haverhill pick up most of their traffic.

The employment hubs in Cambridge accessible from Haverhill are the Biomedical Campus and what Americans or Australians would call the central business district which is near the old station. As already stated, the Biomedical Campus is particularly important because Haverhill is a good place to live for hospital workers; the Biomedical Campus already has 3 hospitals and soon will have 5.

Long Road and Hills Road are the two big Cambridge Sixth Form Colleges, that's where the students want to go. Most of them use public transport to get to and from the colleges, unless they are close enough to walk or cycle. Long Road college is very close to Cambridge South, Hills Road College is close to the old station, and will be even closer if East West Rail deliver the east side entrance/exit.

Peter Freeman and the Cambridge Growth Company aren't suggesting building lots of new houses in Haverhill for people to go to the old city in Cambridge. They want new residents of Haverhill to be working on the Biomedical Campus and around the old railway station, or on the rural science parks such as Granta Park, Babraham Hall and the Wellcome Genome Campus. That's where the economy and employment are growing, not the old city. That's where the new public transport is needed, not the old city.

 

[aron2smith]

The old railway was single track, with passing loops at Linton and Bartlow.

That may well be enough for all we know. I just default to double track when I think of these things. But Haverhill to Sudbury would be single track with 2 platform stations if it came back I'd imagine. It being electrified would be more important, even if it used something like the class 230 battery trains.

But did you look at the X13? Some X13 journeys do Addenbrookes-Haverhill Sainsburys in 30 minutes, and overall the X13, 13 and 13A give almost 40 buses per weekday. The fastest train Cambridge-Haverhill was 34 minutes, and there were 7 trains per day.

Even the X13 seems quite limited in frequency compared to a train though. Only really exists Monday to Friday. Also takes half hour from Addenbrookes to the City Centre in the morning peak. Yikes! Haverhill is big enough for a fast link from early to late, even on Sundays. Stagecoach won't provide that.

Also your route makes a lot of sense. At least with the connection being at Whittlesford Parkway, the London timetables wouldn't need to change to accommodate an extra stop. And like Haverhill, Linton is seeing a bit of new housing so a station nearby would be really beneficial. And going around Haverhill may be the only realistic and least disruptive option now. Also makes expansion towards Sudbury easier.

I think your route would mean the bus could also co-exist, maybe even split it into 2 routes. A town service to the rail station and then Haverhill Bus Station to Cambridge Bus Station directly.

 

[Bald Rick]

Even the X13 seems quite limited in frequency compared to a train though. Only really exists Monday to Friday. Also takes half hour from Addenbrookes to the City Centre in the morning peak. Yikes! Haverhill is big enough for a fast link from early to late, even on Sundays. Stagecoach won't provide that.

It would be a lot cheaper to provide a high frequency fast bus link than do a full feasibility study into reopenign the line, let alone build it.

 

[Magdalia]

It would be a lot cheaper to provide a high frequency fast bus link than do a full feasibility study into reopenign the line, let alone build it.

If you has written that before Christmas then I would have agreed with you. But 2 things have changed recently.

One is the pause on the Cambridge South East Transport busway between Cambridge South and Babraham.

Cambridgeshire busway inquiry delayed over gas pipeline

The Department for Transport agrees to a pause so the local authority can look at new design options.

www.bbc.co.uk

An inquiry into a guided busway linking a city to a travel hub has been delayed because of the scheme's proximity to a gas pipeline.

The Cambridge South East Transport (CSET) busway is planned to be about five miles (8.5km) long and will travel between Francis Crick Avenue at the city's Biomedical Campus and a new travel hub off the A11 at the Fourwentways junction.

A public inquiry was expected to take place in 2026, but a letter from the Department for Transport, external stated it had been temporarily halted until March next year at the request of Cambridgeshire County Council.

The proposed busway isn't cheap, at £160 million, and only goes halfway to Haverhill. It looks less certain that it will go ahead now than it did only a few weeks ago.

The other is Peter Freeman's comments last week.

Cambridge 150,000 homes plan may include other counties

The number is "not a daft figure" but could include parts of Bedfordshire and Suffolk, an official says.

www.bbc.co.uk

The plan for 150,000 new homes in Greater Cambridge was "probably not a daft figure" but could include parts of other counties, a senior official has said.

The government wants the homes built by 2050 and Chancellor Rachel Reeves says the Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor has "the potential to be Europe's Silicon Valley".

But when asked at a South Cambridgeshire District Council meeting about the 150,000 figure, Peter Freeman, the chairman of the Cambridge Growth Company, said the area may include Tempsford, 22 miles away in Bedfordshire, and Haverhill, 17 miles away in Suffolk.

If the Cambridge Growth Company want as many new houses in Haverhill as in Cambourne and Tempsford, then something more than a high frequency bus service will be needed.

 

[CMS1]

I don't sharpen my crayons very often but the Great Chesterford option has got me thinking! I think that it can be improved as follows.

Had a look on OS and looks a v good option. Whittlesford has 4tph to London and if it was timed to catch the fast train, there is another 4 mins later if delayed.

This is a bit more accurate version I think although not sure where it would join old alignment at Linton


The total line length is 12 miles so it if 2tph was the idea it would need a loop at Linton

 

[aron2smith]

It would be a lot cheaper to provide a high frequency fast bus link than do a full feasibility study into reopenign the line, let alone build it.

The unfortunate thing is Haverhill is in Suffolk, obviously Cambridge is not. Cambridgeshire is going down the bus franchising route, so how that impacts the Haverhill route is unclear. It may cost more but a rail route suddenly makes Haverhill a much more attractive place to be and makes the town accessible to much more of the country than just Cambridge. There is a lot of reassurance from a fixed traffic free route, faster journeys that also take a similar time regardless of the time of day and at least at the same frequency as the bus. The fact Cambridge Centre to Addenbrookes is 30 minutes by bus in the peak but only 15 minutes at all other times, is a major downside to the bus.

If the train can run every half hour and get to the main Cambridge station in half an hour, I'd say that would be a massive improvement over what exists. Connections at Whittlesford and the soon to open South Station are a bonus and would open up a whole region in Suffolk into North Essex, not just Haverhill. The bus is a slog at times and really if a railway existed, buses could be refocused into a town route and regional routes. Suddenly Haverhill becomes a regional hub in its own right and a number of journeys are much easier without a car.

I'd say it's essential before Haverhill grows any further. Just a pity it once had a perfectly central station and now would likely have to be on the edge, at least 1 mile from the high street. To me that is the only real downside. It really should've never closed in the first place, but now it's urgent to reinstate and a new alignment may be the best solution.

And from the sound of this thread, a mainly single track route would be enough.

Makes me wonder how many towns all across the country could gain rail access once more from 12 miles of track or less. Quite a few I'd imagine. And a serious rail restoration programme would be a game changer.

 

[Bald Rick]

If the train can run every half hour and get to the main Cambridge station in half an hour, I'd say that would be a massive improvement over what exists.

Cambridge would need more platforms, and almost certainly a reconfiguting of the layout at the south, over and above what is proposed for EWR. That will have to be added to the cost of a new line to Haverhill (at £30m-£40m per km)

 

[Magdalia]

That will have to be added to the cost of a new line to Haverhill (at £30m-£40m per km)

The proposed busways are costing about £20 million per km.

Cambridge would need more platforms, and almost certainly a reconfiguting of the layout at the south, over and above what is proposed for EWR.

Not necessarily. Haverhill definitely can't happen without EWR happening first, but, at least in public, it still isn't clear what layout EWR propose for the southern approach to Cambridge and how they intend to use it. The current proposal has 5 through platforms, 2 south end bays, 4 tracks Shepreth Branch-Coldham Lane, and stations at Cambridge East and Cambridge North. More trains may need more platforms, but they may not need to be at Cambridge.

I recognise that a new railway costs a lot of money, and Haverhill is going to have to grow very big to make it worthwhile, but it is also important to recognise what is happening with the Cambridge Growth Company, and the Development Corporation that is expected to evolve out of it. They are thinking on a very big scale, with 150k new houses in total within travelling distance of Cambridge by 2050, and will have different ways of funding what they think is required for transport infrastructure.

The unfortunate thing is Haverhill is in Suffolk, obviously Cambridge is not.

I am not expecting this to matter. What will matter is what comes under the Cambridge Development Corporation. Haverhill is only just over the county border, and if it expands on the west side, it will be expanding into Cambridgeshire. A bit of me hopes that a nettle will be grasped and a Greater Cambridge unitary authority (including planning) will have congruent boundaries with the Cambridge Development Corporation.

I'd say it's essential before Haverhill grows any further.

Haverhill isn't going to get a railway quickly, if at all. I'd say zero chance before 2040 and still not a very good chance after that. But another important factor here is long term thinking. The Greater Cambridge draft local plan looks out to 2045 and the Cambridge Growth Company looks out to 2050. Transport infrastructure planning has to look that far ahead too.

Makes me wonder how many towns all across the country could gain rail access once more from 12 miles of track or less. Quite a few I'd imagine. And a serious rail restoration programme would be a game changer.

That isn't going to happen. Haverhill can only happen if it gets huge expansion as part of what the Cambridge Development Corporation will be doing.

 

[RailWonderer]

It would be a lot cheaper to provide a high frequency fast bus link than do a full feasibility study into reopenign the line, let alone build it.

If it's never getting a railway, I'd suggest a coach be far better than a bus with the distance from Haverhill to Cambridge.

 

[aron2smith]

Haverhill isn't going to get a railway quickly, if at all. I'd say zero chance before 2040 and still not a very good chance after that. But another important factor here is long term thinking. The Greater Cambridge draft local plan looks out to 2045 and the Cambridge Growth Company looks out to 2050. Transport infrastructure planning has to look that far ahead too.

Given 2040 is still 14 years away, that is a real indictment of our planning system. I agree transport planning needs to look as far ahead as the other 2 bodies.

That isn't going to happen. Haverhill can only happen if it gets huge expansion as part of what the Cambridge Development Corporation will be doing.

Why not? New rail stations are opening piecemeal every year now, at some point we need to up the scale and that includes a series of branches to towns where railways would be most beneficial. Could be trams, metro or light rail expansion for all I care. Same with BRT. The point is the need for dedicated infrastructure separate from mixed traffic. And Haverhill is already big enough for a rail line, BRT wouldn't do there. And a line would be even more difficult to put in a semi decent location if left for much longer without at least a commitment and safe guarded land.

 

[Magdalia]

Given 2040 is still 14 years away, that is a real indictment of our planning system. I agree transport planning needs to look as far ahead as the other 2 bodies.

It isn't. What stops Haverhill from happening quickly is priorities and sequencing, not planning. East West Rail is the priority and has to happen first. Haverhill can't be delivered with the existing infrastructure on the southern approach to Cambridge. The new infrastructure that comes with East West Rail makes Haverhill a possibility, though not a certainty.

Why not? New rail stations are opening piecemeal every year now, at some point we need to up the scale and that includes a series of branches to towns where railways would be most beneficial.

Because there is a huge difference in costs between building a new station and building a new railway. £30-40 million will get you a new station providing it doesn't need track and signalling changes, £30-40 million will get you about 1km of new track.

And Haverhill is already big enough for a rail line, BRT wouldn't do there.

Haverhill is big enough for a new station, if a line was already there. But the line isn't there, and Haverhill isn't big enough now to build a new line costing £30-40m per km. Until last week I didn't see any prospect of Haverhill growing big enough to justify the £30-40m per km cost of a new railway, but since Peter Freeman's comments last week I'm not so sure.

And a line would be even more difficult to put in a semi decent location if left for much longer without at least a commitment and safe guarded land.

In the draft local plan the East West Rail route is safeguarded but there is nothing similar for Haverhill. If the Cambridge Growth Company or a Cambridge Development Corporation want to safeguard a route then they will be able to do so.

 

[aron2smith]

Haverhill is big enough for a new station, if a line was already there. But the line isn't there, and Haverhill isn't big enough now to build a new line costing £30-40m per km. Until last week I didn't see any prospect of Haverhill growing big enough to justify the £30-40m per km cost of a new railway, but since Peter Freeman's comments last week I'm not so sure.

It really shouldn't matter if the line is there currently or not. Haverhill is one of the towns that would really benefit from a railway, even if it was light rail. I can't stand this wait and see approach. It's why so much of the country does not have the infrastructure it needs! We need to be more proactive as a nation. I mean we built Metroland for god's sake and only 100 years ago. Far easier and cheaper to put in the infrastructure before building a town, rather than constantly playing catch up. Also I thought this thread agreed a stop near Linton would be a good idea? So a 2 station branch line, mostly single track would work.

In the draft local plan the East West Rail route is safeguarded but there is nothing similar for Haverhill. If the Cambridge Growth Company or a Cambridge Development Corporation want to safeguard a route then they will be able to do so.

Haverhill is expanding in the north at the moment, if it were to expand the other way, land needs to be safeguarded and a route agreed first. Very frustrating to me as Haverhill once had a perfectly located rail station and now it would likely be pushed to the ever expanding edges!

 

[70F]

It really shouldn't matter if the line is there currently or not. Haverhill is one of the towns that would really benefit from a railway, even if it was light rail. I can't stand this wait and see approach. It's why so much of the country does not have the infrastructure it needs! We need to be more proactive as a nation. I mean we built Metroland for god's sake and only 100 years ago. Far easier and cheaper to put in the infrastructure before building a town, rather than constantly playing catch up. Also I thought this thread agreed a stop near Linton would be a good idea? So a 2 station branch line, mostly single track would work.

Haverhill is expanding in the north at the moment, if it were to expand the other way, land needs to be safeguarded and a route agreed first. Very frustrating to me as Haverhill once had a perfectly located rail station and now it would likely be pushed to the ever expanding edges!

For those of you unfamiliar with how much Haverhill has expanded I’ve attached a ‘side by side’ screenshot of a 1930s map and a present day satellite view.

 

[Magdalia]

It really shouldn't matter if the line is there currently or not.

It matters, and has always mattered, because of the cost of building a line that isn't currently there, at an estimated £30-40m per km.

In the Haverhill example, add in 3 stations on the new line (Hinxton Genome Campus, Linton and Haverhill), plus some new capacity at one of the Cambridge stations, and there is unlikely to be much change out of £1bn.

I can't stand this wait and see approach.

Haverhill is expanding in the north at the moment, if it were to expand the other way, land needs to be safeguarded and a route agreed first.

It isn't a wait and see approach. It is planning in action, through the Greater Cambridge local plan and the Cambridge Growth Company. If Haverhill is chosen, by the Cambridge Growth Company or a Development Corporation, as a place for lots of new houses, then a new railway becomes an option, but not before.

I mean we built Metroland for god's sake and only 100 years ago.

There was no requirement to obtain planning permission when Metroland was built. Before the Town and Country Planning Act 1947 was very different. Democracy determined that there should be a planning process and that's been the way for nearly 80 years. The planning process gets adjusted, but it isn't going away.

Far easier and cheaper to put in the infrastructure before building a town, rather than constantly playing catch up.

It isn't easier financially because the costs are up front with no benefit until after the town is built, and more debt servicing costs as a result.

a 2 station branch line, mostly single track would work.

Any new line has to work at the Cambridge end too. Before East West Rail that couldn't work and the the costs of making it work would have been prohibitive.

Very frustrating to me as Haverhill once had a perfectly located rail station

That was 60 years ago and the train service was about 7 per day. In the intervening 60 years that land has been used to benefit Haverhill in other ways.

 

[Bald Rick]

I can't stand this wait and see approach.

It isn’t “wait and see” as, blunty there isn’t wnything to see and nothing to wait for.

For the avoidance of doubt, there are no serious proposals for a line to Haverhill. (Serious as in funded to conduct any level of study).

 

[Magdalia]

For the avoidance of doubt, there are no serious proposals for a line to Haverhill. (Serious as in funded to conduct any level of study).

The Cambridge Growth Company, or a Development Corporation, might decide to fund such a study, if, as Peter Freeman says, it has plans for lots of new houses in Haverhill.

As an example, the Cambridge Growth Company arranged the funding for this study on Addenbrookes Hospital.

Cambridge NHS trust reveals plans for a new £2.3bn hospital

More than 70% of the trust's current estate is in a poor or bad condition.

www.bbc.co.uk

Plans for a £2.3bn acute hospital run by a region's major trauma centre trust as part of a "radical new" care model have emerged.

The hospital trust has used £3m of government money to develop the initial plans -which included a new hospital on the biomedical campus.

In Cambridge, things change fast. Last week's statement by Peter Freeman was the first time that Haverhill had been mentioned in the context of delivering lots of new houses in the Cambridge area.

 

[Bald Rick]

The Cambridge Growth Company, or a Development Corporation, might decide to fund such a study, if, as Peter Freeman says, it has plans for lots of new houses in Haverhill.

Oh I agree. But as of now, not.

 

[aron2smith]

It matters, and has always mattered, because of the cost of building a line that isn't currently there, at an estimated £30-40m per km.

In the Haverhill example, add in 3 stations on the new line (Hinxton Genome Campus, Linton and Haverhill), plus some new capacity at one of the Cambridge stations, and there is unlikely to be much change out of £1bn.

That's the price of reducing congestion among many other benefits though. We want decent productivity and economic growth, building key infrastructure like this is the only real way to do it.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 4 Feb 2026 ==

For the avoidance of doubt, there are no serious proposals for a line to Haverhill. (Serious as in funded to conduct any level of study).

What exactly do they need to study? This thread very quickly identified a very usable route, potentially better than the original alignment. It's widely said and agreed the town needs some kind of rail infrastructure. The housing is going up now as the town is still growing, same with Linton to a smaller extent. There is the captive ridership. To me, it's blindingly obvious to just build it. Shouldn't need endless studies, multiple business cases etc. Obtaining the land and making sure it won't flood should be the only hard bits, but even that shouldn't take years and years. On the ground, the town clearly needs it and would be a success when it finally happens. Knowing our planning system, it still won't be here in 30 years time and even that long is too late.

I really don't get why we can't just copy countries like France and Spain, borrow as much as is needed, stick to the plan and build it quickly.

 

[Magdalia]

What exactly do they need to study? This thread very quickly identified a very usable route

I contributed to identifying a different possible route. I know that it is only a concept, not a plan. It lacks lots of details, most importantly the locations of the stations. This discussion has also identified 3 other railway routes, and there are also various other non-railway options.

A feasibility study does what it says on the tin. Is the proposal feasible? That has to be done for each of the options.

In terms of engineering that includes things like geology, drainage, rights of way, utilities. It also includes thinking about feasibility of construction: how are raw materials brought in and waste products removed? It also includes thinking about who is going to do the construction, where they will be located, and what facilities do they need? What sort of disruption will there be to existing rights of way and utilities during construction, and how will that be managed?

I'm sure that the people who do this for a living will come up with an even longer list of things that I've overlooked.

To me, it's blindingly obvious to just build it.

Building a railway isn't just a giant hand of god plonking a railway down into the landscape.

That's the price of reducing congestion among many other benefits though. We want decent productivity and economic growth, building key infrastructure like this is the only real way to do it.

But the plan needs to be feasible financially too. Before embarking on any of the options, it is essential to identify which is likely to be the best financially. The costs are up front and the benefits come later, so that includes funding costs. The bigger the engineering costs, the bigger the funding costs too. And in the UK funding is limited, so that, just because a project is estimated to deliver a positive return on investment, doesn't mean that it can be afforded.

Shouldn't need endless studies, multiple business cases etc.

Once a preferred option is identified, the planning process then gets to work on sorting out the details. This is an iterative process, and, when done well, leads to better projects. Cambridge South is a good example of this, where what we are getting is better in many respects than what was proposed originally. The same is happening with East West Rail, and the same would need to happen for a railway to Haverhill.

In this context I think of a famous quote of US President Abraham Lincoln: "give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first 4 sharpening my axe". It is a good rule of thumb for big engineering projects: something that takes 2 years to build needs 4 years of planning.

I really don't get why we can't just copy countries like France and Spain, borrow as much as is needed, stick to the plan and build it quickly.

France and Spain are both countries with a much bigger land mass and less dense population. Simply speaking, there is less in the way of any new railway. France and Spain can also borrow in Euros which is much cheaper than borrowing in Sterling, and I expect that Spain also got funds from the EU.

 

[aron2smith]

I contributed to identifying a different possible route. I know that it is only a concept, not a plan. It lacks lots of details, most importantly the locations of the stations. This discussion has also identified 3 other railway routes, and there are also various other non-railway options.

But the plan needs to be feasible financially too. Before embarking on any of the options, it is essential to identify which is likely to be the best financially. The costs are up front and the benefits come later, so that includes funding costs. The bigger the engineering costs, the bigger the funding costs too. And in the UK funding is limited, so that, just because a project is estimated to deliver a positive return on investment, doesn't mean that it can be afforded.

Once a preferred option is identified, the planning process then gets to work on sorting out the details. This is an iterative process, and, when done well, leads to better projects. Cambridge South is a good example of this, where what we are getting is better in many respects than what was proposed originally. The same is happening with East West Rail, and the same would need to happen for a railway to Haverhill.

In this context I think of a famous quote of US President Abraham Lincoln: "give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first 4 sharpening my axe". It is a good rule of thumb for big engineering projects: something that takes 2 years to build needs 4 years of planning.

I appreciate a lot needs to be looked and considered before putting in any infrastructure and I wouldn't be so critical if it usually was 4 years of planning and 2 years of construction or something proportional. Just seems like a lot of projects spend forever in limbo being announced then cancelled over and over which is really expensive, even after central government approval. Why is a railway or major road up to them anyway? It's good combined authorities are coming about but these regional projects need to be up to them as much as possible, including any borrowing. It just seems like we know what the regions need but the planning system defaults against it or at least makes things as difficult as possible.

I think if we commit to something, should see it through. Hoping many lessons are learnt from HS2.

Like I'd expect it to take longer if a tunnel or viaduct was needed but that's really unlikely with a line to Haverhill. It's flat country!

The financial part is where you'd think we as a country would default to long term thinking. We may struggle upfront but a lot of prosperity is held up in building the infrastructure. We are poorer by default in the long run by not doing it. A bit like how we are poorer today than we would've been by 2026 if it wasn't for austerity and Brexit.

Also noticed Westminster set up a 'Greater' Cambridge Development Corporation today and despite being a good step, it fails to align with Cambridge's Travel to Work Area as it is just Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire (the likely unitary area soon), Haverhill and Royston are right on its doorstep, just include them in the area!

 

[Magdalia]

Also noticed Westminster set up a 'Greater' Cambridge Development Corporation today

I was expecting something this week as it has to be squeezed in between the end of the local plan consultation and the start of local election purdah. I haven't looked at the details yet, and this isn't the place for a discussion.

Why is a railway or major road up to them anyway?

He who pays the piper calls the tune.

that's really unlikely with a line to Haverhill. It's flat country!

No it isn't. Look at the contours on an ordnance survey map.