17:17 Thursday 6th November 2014
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
CHRIS MANN: A business group claims Network Rail has missed an opportunity as they announced plans to upgrade the rail line between Cambridge, Stansted Airport and London. They say it doesn’t go far enough, and say the route needs major upgrading, not just modest improvements. Richard Schofield is the Route Managing Director at Network Rail. He says there isn’t the demand in the area for that level of growth.
(TAPE)
RICHARD SCHOFIELD: We welcome views of people that think we’ve got it wrong, but if you look at the needs over the next decade, there isn’t the volume of growth that would justify a business case to do that piece of work. But we welcome the input from Stansted Airport and the businesses and Transport for London around what they think we should be doing, so that we can create a business case that we can send to Government and say look, actually we think there is a greater need.
(LIVE)
CHRIS MANN: However he said if a Government report showed there’s going to be an increase in passenger numbers at Stansted, they would reconsider.
(TAPE)
RICHARD SCHOFIELD: So we would then work with stakeholders and Government to put together a plan that addresses the need to get passengers to Stansted in even greater numbers. But we can’t really second guess the outcome of that report, but we will of course take it into mind as we go through next year.
(LIVE)
CHRIS MANN: That was Network Rail’s Richard Schofield. Let’s bring in councillor Kevin Bentley, the Chair of Infrastructure at the London Stansted Cambridge Consortium. Hello Kevin.
KEVIN BENTLEY: Good evening.
CHRIS MANN: They say there’s not enough demand. What’s your evidence that it’s otherwise?
KEVIN BENTLEY: Well just look at it. Look at the fantastic growth that’s happening in Cambridgeshire, not just in the bio-tech industries, but all industries, plus the great science parks we have in Cambridge as well. Just down the road in Harlow, the Enterprise Zone, the Government’s own Enterprise Zone that we’re working so hard to make happen down there and it’s going to be fantastic. Then you go down the line further into London, plus of course Stansted Airport, which is set to grow in passenger numbers. All the evidence is there. We have presented this before. I just don’t understand what Network Rail’s doing. They’ve missed a golden opportunity. We’re going to prove them wrong.
CHRIS MANN: But they say quite categorically, you heard the man say that there’s no demand. Have you done a survey?
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