Improving bus, road, and rail links and active travel is key to making it easier to get around North West Norfolk.
Buses - West Norfolk is also benefitting from better bus services as part of Norfolk County Council's bus service improvement plan which James helped secure £50 million to fund. Plans for better services to help passengers who rely on buses include: More frequent buses on 4 key routes: 35, 39, 48c, 49/49a; a new travel hub for Hunstanton; more bus lanes for Lynn.
Rail - Doubling the length of trains running from Lynn to 8 carriages is a multi-million pound investment making for a better experience for passengers and supporting economic growth. James is delighted the government has also confirmed it will upgrade Ely Junction to unlock off peak half hourly services to Lynn.
Roads - improving our road network is also vital and six A47 schemes have been approved by the government. James is also campaigning for more dualling especially Tilney to East Winch. James is pressing ministers to back proposals for the A10 West Winch housing access road which is essential to unlock housing, reduce congestion and boost growth.
8-carriage services delivered
December 2020 - £30 million investment sees new longer trains start running from Lynn to Cambridge
- James supported the introduction of 8 carriages during peak services and in December 2020 he travelled on the first 8 carriage train from Lynn to Cambridge that will boost space and seats on trains. This increased capacity was made possible by a £27 million investment by the Department for Transport and infrastructure work by Network Rail to extend platform lengths at Waterbeach and Littleport stations, as well as construct a new siding at King's Lynn.
- Previously services for all stations to King's Lynn had only four carriages beyond Cambridge, and trains turning around at Ely had eight carriages but could not stop at Waterbeach. The hourly service at Waterbeach will now be half hourly.
- The longer trains will add over 2,000 extra seats to morning trains arriving in Cambridge. This will make it easier for passengers to socially distance and when passengers return post-pandemic, help passengers find a seat on busier services.
James said: “It is great news that this important upgrade has been completed and the introduction of longer trains on this key route will boost capacity and make for a better experience for passengers. This multimillion-pound investment is part of the government’s plans to help boost economic growth in North West Norfolk and more widely. I congratulate Network Rail, Great Northern, and everyone involved in delivering this infrastructure project in challenging circumstances that will benefit so many people in King’s Lynn and along the Fen Line."
More frequent services by improving Ely Junction
James is campaigning for investment at Ely Junction to increase capacity to 14 trains per hour which is vital to unlock off peak half hourly services from King's Lynn to King's Cross and deliver wider benefits across the area. The railway around Ely is a key constraint to allowing more trains to operate and it needs to be improved to meet the increasing demands for passenger and rail freight.
In March 2021, James was briefed on the Ely Area Capacity Enhancements rail scheme following the initial consultation period. The industry's Project Speed initiative is being applied to the programme which could see the delivery timescales brought forward whilst reducing the overall cost.
October 2023 Ely Junction to be upgraded
as part of Prime Minister’s plan to redirect vast HS2 savings into unprecedented transport investment across the country, a vital part of East Anglia’s rail network at Ely where 5 busy rail lines converge will be upgrade.
This will boost passenger services to and from King’s Lynn.
Commenting on the Prime Minister’s speech and transport announcements, James Wild MP said:
“The Prime Minister has taken tough decisions on HS2 and by doing so is backing transport projects across the country. I’m delighted as a result of this announcement the government has committed to upgrade Ely Junction which I have campaigned for.
This important scheme will unlock more passenger services to King’s Lynn and extra freight trains across the region delivering significant economic benefits.”
July 2020 - £13 million funding for next phase of Ely capacity improvements
- In July the Rail Minister wrote to James confirming £13 million of funding to refine the options under consideration into a preferred option and produce an outline Business Case to enhance capacity on the rail network in the Ely Area where five train lines converge.. Network Rail has been consulting on these proposals.
- The programme will improve connectivity and reliability for passenger services and provide additional capacity to meet demand for more rail freight between the Port of Felixstowe, the West Midlands and the north to support sustainable, long-term economic growth.
Commenting on the funding announcement, James Wild MP said:
“I’ve campaigned for better rail services for North West Norfolk and this is an important step in delivering improvements to unlock more regular services between Lynn, Cambridge, and London. Investing in rail connections is an important part of the government’s agenda to boost growth across the country.
Improving capacity at this bottleneck will bring benefits to existing passengers and businesses as well as attract new investment to drive long-term growth in the local area.”
February 2021 - MPs lobby Chancellor for Ely Junction improvements to unlock half hourly off peak services
- James, along with other Norfolk MPs, met the Chancellor to make the case for funding for these enhancements. In May 2020, James met with the Rail Minister to review the Strategic Outline Business Case that Network Rail developed and to underline the strategic importance of these plans for West Norfolk and the wider region.
