Jim has welcomed the Government’s announcement today of its rail investment strategy for 2014-2019 which includes a commitment fund an upgrade to the Ely North Junction which currently acts as a bottleneck for services from the rest of East Anglia through Cambridge to London.

This announcement comes hot on the heels of the launch of the East Anglian Prospectus which identifies the upgrade of this junction as a key priority for the region.

The junction, located at Queen Adelaide in Jim’s constituency, is where the rail lines to Cambridge and London from Kings Lynn, Norwich and Peterborough converge and currently limits the frequency of trains which can run on the lines. If it were to be upgraded to double track rather than the current single track then potentially a half-hourly service could run on all three lines.

Jim said, “I am very pleased that despite the very challenging task we face in tackling the deficit that we inherited from the previous Government, that this Government has placed a priority on improving our transport network.

Upgrading the Ely North Junction will help to unlock the economic potential of our wider region by allowing more frequent trains from Kings Lynn, Norwich and Peterborough via Ely and will also benefit Ely itself. More trains per hour travelling between Ely and Cambridge / London will be good news for commuters, businesses and tourists alike and I am delighted that the Government has listened to the case made by local MPs for this improvement.”

To see the full list of funding announcements see here.