Anglia rail plans

“WE still have key and political milestones to achieve,” Great Eastern Main Line Taskforce co-Chairman Chloe Smith told assorted MPs and members of the rail industry at a summit in Westminster on September 7.

Smith was talking at the East Anglia Rail Summit, which was the first meeting of stakeholders - including Network Rail, the Department for Transport and local MPs - since Abellio was awarded the long-term franchise on August 10 ( RAIL 807).

Abellio will replace its entire fleet (1,043 new vehicles are on order) as part of the nine-year franchise, but Smith said: “These new carriages are a key piece of the jigsaw, but there is more to do that is just as significant.”

She highlighted that the recommendations from the Nicola Shaw report published in March need to be considered, as does the ways in which the East West Rail Link can benefit the region.

“We need to make plans,” she said. “I am never slow to make a ‘to do’ list, and today is a ‘to do’ list.”

Smith explained that the GEML Taskforce’s business concerns what it wants from the new franchise and the associated infrastructure. The Taskforce is focused on requirements in the remains of Control Period 5 (April 1 2014March 31 2019), and all of CP6 (April 1 2019-March 31 2024).

“We know there’s a lot still to do. That also focuses on the lines coming off the Great Eastern Main Line,” she said, highlighting Ely North Junction as a key improvement to boost capacity. “It is very important, too, that there are upgrades for level crossings in the region.”

Smith added that the Taskforce has the detail it needs to campaign for improvements in CP6: “We are here to hold Abellio and Network Rail to account. We mean this seriously. I would urge the Minister to consider what transport needs there are in our region. Linking Cambridge and Oxford is nice, but come to the proper East. That would offer some very exciting opportunities.”

She concluded: “Economic development is the big prize. That was the key for the new trains - they bring so much for the region. This is about a railway and franchise that works for everyone.

“One of the things the Taskforce needs to do is work with the Department for Transport to pull