Wisbech to March and Cambridge Railway Petition Press Release

Wisbech – March – Cambridge railway petition – Hand-Over Time!

The Wisbech Rail Reopening Campaign wisbechrail.org.uk is pleased to announce that Cambridgeshire County Council has accepted that this petition
can be presented to the full County Council (meeting at 10.30am) at 10.15am Tuesday July 16th 2013.

The petition is in support of Cambridgeshire County Council continuing development of the business case for reopening the 7 miles of railway from Wisbech to March to reconnect Wisbech to the national rail network and calls for the provision of an initial hourly Wisbech to Cambridge service. The petition campaign has created enormous interest in Wisbech and district. 3784 people signed it of whom 2907 live in Cambridgeshire. Most of the rest live cross – border adjacent to Wisbech in Norfolk and Lincolnshire with some being friends and relatives of Wisbech residents who live elsewhere in the UK.

Please also note that we delivered over 11000 leaflets to most households in built up area of Wisbech, on both sides of “the border” plus 800 in Manea and 1200 in March. The response rate in Wisbech was 25% per household, which we consider to be very positive. The number of households indicates to us that the true cross border population of Wisbech is around 33,000.

Additionally, on behalf of the petitioners in Fenland who have signed the petition, we have asked that the Fenland Members of Parliament in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk work together to make the case with appropriate Transport Minister to make sure the Wisbech reconnection to the nation rail network is put into the next Greater Anglia franchise as a commitment.

Ends.

Note to editors.
The railway line from Wisbech to March exists intact and its legal status is “not closed but mothballed”. The track and all land and legal ownership of it, is held by Network Rail on behalf of the nation.
A report issued in 2010 by the Association of Train Operating Companies and called “Connecting Communities”, found that reconnecting the Wisbech to March railway to the national network would be cost effective.
Cambridgeshire County Council is currently conducting a feasibility study with a view to establishing a business case for reopening the route. Stage 1 established that a large number of people would use a new Wisbech station.
More information can be found on our website, wisbechrail.org.uk
A copy of the petition document with an analysis of the results, maps and
copies of the leaflets (but with the petitioners’ names redacted) is
available here wisbechrail.org.uk/2013/07/08/petition-closes/
All information on it may be used without asking for permission.

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