Unfortunately there wasn’t much interest from Cambridgeshire’s MPs – which is surprising given how high profile the CPCA Mayor’s commitment to a light rail for Cambridge is
Above – you can watch the Transport Secretary’s responses to questions on Mass Transit here
Transport Secretary appoints “Urban Transport Group” as secretariat for Government’s Mass Transit Task Force.
You can see their press release here
“I didn’t know we had an Urban Transport Group!”
Well you do now – and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority are members of it. It’s the national federation of the new transport authorities in England which inevitably gives them an easier route into Whitehall – similar to what the Local Government Association does for local government.
Above – there’s little information beyond the announcement on their website so far
Campaign for Better Transport – the case for Light Rail
You can read their case written by the former Local Transport Minister Norman Baker – previously the Liberal Democrat MP for Lewes, East Sussex. If you are a LibDem councillor or member, do get in touch with him to see what advice he has. Recall that he spoke out against the GCP’s decision to go for bus rapid transit and not light rail.
The Light Rail Transit Association – Membership
I’ve finally gotten round to joining the LRTA having acquired more than a few of their historical/antiquarian publications of late. You can browse through the ones I’ve digitised from the olden days here – not that the state of them will persuade many of the merits of light rail given their age. The stand out difference that the older pamphlets highlight is that continental European countries invested in maintaining and upgrading their trams and light rail networks. The UK did not.
Above – today’s arrivals from the world of second hand bookshops – Interestingly the yellow/amber-coloured publication from the TCPA on sustainable communities dated 2003 features Cambourne in Cambs. It does not pull its punches!
That illustrates why it’s ever so important to go back to the original documents published at the start of infrastructure plans. It’s tempting for politicians and senior officials to laud the ‘success on completion’ of large infrastructure projects without referring back to what was promised and on what budget. The Cambridgeshire Guided Busway from Cambridge to St Ives is one example. (And the GCP is yet to demonstrate it has learnt the lessons from that project’s shortcomings).
No local meetings or branches of the LRTA in or near Cambridge
Which I spotted before signing up. That said, the Cambridge University Railway Club has been going for over a century. Additionally, Rail Future East Anglia has also been going for a very long time as well – one for those of you who travel by rail regularly. The LRTA has launched its own 18-35 rising stars network. Are there staff members and younger local councillors who could lead on this in Cambridge? (It can’t be me because I’m too old!)
Finally there is the Cambridgeshire Sustainable Travel Alliance which brings together many of the local and regional transport campaigns. (Organisations interested in joining the CSTA – which also tables public questions at council and combined authority meetings you may not know existed, please see their page here)
I’m not planning on doing anything substantial at the moment – it’s too rainy outside! Also, I don’t have the capacity to lead anything myself. If anything I might be able to get something small going – for example a monthly informal gathering somewhere (eg my local pub on a Sunday afternoon, or one of the pubs/cafes near one of the railway stations) just to see who else is interested. That plus taking the opportunity to go through the meeting papers and reports from the Combined Authority along with the contents of Tramways and Urban Transit Magazine past and present (Yes, it’s a thing!). One thing that we’re not good at as a city is keeping up with developments in the world of public transport infrastructure to the extent members of the public routinely use the contents to question politicians. The lack of public questions to ministers from our local MPs reflects this. Part of the responsibility is a collective one that’s on us – if the public does not contact their MPs, there’s little incentive to table questions given the huge and conflicting pressures they have on other issues. On the other-hand it’s reasonable for people to challenge their elected politicians to make the first move and show political leadership.
Moving the publicity beyond the print press
One of the things a number of cities have been interested in is Coventry’s Very Light Rail. Geoff Marshall made this video in June 2025 on the test track in central Coventry.
Above – Geoff Marshall on Coventry VLR, June 2025
This was followed up in December by BBC Warwickshire here. Separately, Geoff recorded this video of his visit to the Sheffield Tram here.
In the case of Cambridge, there is the decades-long power struggle between those who are pro-buses only vs those that want rail-based options included in the mix.
Above – which is better? Light Rail or Bus Rapid Transit? (A: It depends!)
Public questions
I covered the Transport Committee’s papers of the Combined Authority in this earlier blogpost. The deadline for public questions is 12pm on 12 June 2026.
- See the meeting papers here – in particular Item 10. What does it say to you on light rail for Cambridge?
- See the guidance on tabling a public question which can be asked on your behalf.
Food for thought?
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