🚆 Report Calls for East West Rail Extension to Norfolk, Suffolk and North Essex to Unlock Regional Growth

Transport East highlights economic and environmental benefits of expanding rail connectivity across the East

A new report from Transport East is making the case for extending East West Rail beyond Cambridge into Norfolk, Suffolk and North Essex, citing significant economic potential and urgent need for better regional connectivity.

The report, titled East West Rail – East: The Case for Investment in the Eastern Section of the East West Railway, was launched at a recent event held at the National Horse Racing Museum in Newmarket. Around 60 stakeholders from across business, local government and the transport sector gathered to discuss the future of east-west rail infrastructure.

A Strong Case for Investment

The report, commissioned by the East West Rail Eastern Section Board, argues that the East of England is one of the UK’s most dynamic and productive regions, contributing over £163 billion in GVA, supporting more than 270,000 businesses and providing 3.2 million jobs. It’s also home to major international ports and airports.

However, the report warns that historic underinvestment in rail has left many communities poorly connected—hindering growth, limiting access to jobs and education, and increasing reliance on road transport.

"An Opportunity We Must Seize"

Cllr Alexander Nicoll, Chair of the East West Rail Eastern Section Board, said the report underscores the importance of delivering better rail links to support the region’s long-term prosperity.

“Connecting our communities to jobs, education and new opportunities – while supporting sustainable growth – is at the heart of what we want to achieve,” he said.

“We have a real opportunity now, while work is progressing on bringing East West Rail to Cambridge, to make the infrastructure improvements needed to extend its benefits across the East.”

Nicoll added that strong backing from local councils, business leaders and transport partners signals a shared commitment to delivering this vision and urged Government support to help turn the proposals into reality.

Key Proposals from the Report

The report outlines several infrastructure priorities, including:

• Boosting east-west regional rail links – improving service frequency and journey times between Cambridge, Norwich, Ipswich and North Essex.

• Enhancing cross-Cambridge connectivity – extending access into eastern Cambridge and neighbouring towns in Norfolk and Suffolk, supporting growth in key employment areas.

• Shifting freight from roads to rail – investing in infrastructure to increase rail freight capacity, easing road congestion and reducing emissions.

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Collaboration with Industry and Government

The Board plans to work alongside local authorities, central government, transport bodies, and newly elected mayorsto define a detailed pipeline of rail improvements and build strong business cases for investment.

Jonathan Denby, Head of Corporate Affairs at Greater Anglia, welcomed the report and confirmed the operator’s support for expanding services across the region.

“We’ve seen time and again that when train service quality and frequency improves, more people choose to travel by rail,” Denby said. “This has been true not only on intercity routes like Norwich to London and Stansted Express, but also on local lines such as Norwich to Sheringham and Ipswich to Lowestoft.”

He added that the combination of modern trains, strong performance, and enhanced frequencies has led to growing demand, and that Greater Anglia is committed to working with partners to push for the infrastructure upgrades needed to support more services.