A metro link being planned for Cambridgeshire could stretch into Mildenhall and Haverhill, it has emerged – with county chiefs describing it as a vote of confidence in the area’s economy.
The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority has been developing plans for the system, known as CAM, to help solve congestion problems in the region.
Indicative maps for the routes have included stops in west Suffolk at Haverhill and Mildenhall, and could form a vital transport corridor for people across Suffolk visiting Cambridge.
Councillors James Waters and John Griffiths, leaders of Forest Heath and St Edmundsbury councils in a joint statement said: “We are pleased to see that the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority has aspirations to included Mildenhall and Haverhill as part of the new metro network.
“This reinforces our argument that West Suffolk is part of the Cambridge sub-region and as such a national economic driver.
“We are in constant discussions with the Combined Authority and how we can work more closely.
“This is good news and we look forward to these proposals becoming a reality which would bring great benefits to our existing communities and businesses as well as bringing further investment and opportunities.”
While no firm plans have been decided for the network, the outline business case is set for discussion by the Combined Authority in January.
The metro system will work as an autonomous tram system which runs on rubber wheels.
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayor James Palmer said many people in west Suffolk worked and shopped in Cambridgeshire, and would help aid house building, business links and transport between the two counties.
He said: “The corridor to Mildenhall will serve East Cambridgeshire, with the town itself also having the potential for growth, including at the RAF Mildenhall site.
“There has long been as aspiration to better connect Haverhill to the Greater Cambridge area, as well as better connecting the Biomedical Campus, Babraham Research Campus and Granta Park along the corridor, and the vision for the metro recognises this.
“The location of where people live and work does not stop at county borders, and nor does the economy and clearly any transport solution needs to reflect this.”
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