Issue - meetings

Presentation by Network Rail Representative on proposals for a new station south of Cambridge to be followed by question and answer session

The Committee received a presentation from the Consultation Manager and Consents Development Manager (Network Rail). This is published on the City Council website.

 

Members of the public asked questions or made statements as set out below.

      i.          Queried if (sufficient) secure cycle parking with CCTV live feed would be available. A different range of cycles needed to be catered for eg road bikes and cargo bikes.

     ii.          Requested a wildlife tunnel under the railway tracks or a bridge for animals to cross.

   iii.          Requested construction materials were brought by rail by default and road as a secondary option.

   iv.          Would trees planted by Fawcett school children be removed to make space for the western station building and forecourt? Would the trees be replaced?

    v.          Noise from the Public Address System would impact on nearby residents.

   vi.          Concern that construction workers would drop litter the area. Similarly, the station would encourage litter in Hobson’s Park. Could bins be provided?

 vii.          What would happen to the outcome of the consultation?

viii.          Employers on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus should subsidise their staff to travel by rail to the new station.

   ix.          It was a great shame that this item was being presented the day after the Cambridge South consultation closed.

    x.          Did councillors have a view on the fact that the station design catered for approximately 1.8m passenger trips a year when the 2019 Biomedical Campus Transport Needs Review identified a figure of 4m passenger trips a year; and modelling by Smarter Cambridge Transport suggested a figure in excess of 8m trips?

   xi.          Queried if any councillors on this committee had submitted a response to the consultation?

 

Action: Member of the public asked for Camcycle’s response to the Cambridge South Station Consultation to be circulated to SAC.

 

 xii.          The new path on the west should be segregated and not a shared space to prevent conflict between pedestrians and cyclists.

xiii.          The main station access should be from the existing busway bridge (Addenbrooke’s Bridge). This would be more efficient as the station could then be accessed by buses, pedestrians and cyclists by building a deck above the tracks.

xiv.          It was a long walk from the end of the last train carriage to the nearest bus stop. This may deter mobility impaired people.

xv.          Future-proof the station for increased capacity and adopt a concourse approach instead of bridges between platforms to allow commuters to easily flow from one platform to another.

xvi.          Provide cycle parking that is underground. This would be more secure, reduce visual impact and footprint.

 

The Committee made the following comments in response to the report:

      i.          Re-iterated secure cycle parking and access from the busway was required.

     ii.          Re-iterated there was a disparity between the figures quoted by the Department for Transport of 1.8m estimated passengers and the much higher figure of 9m estimated by Smarter Cambridge Transport. Could the station cope?

   iii.          Expressed concern about open access to the station by all modes of transport. Requested drop off bays be reserved for disabled badge holders.

   iv.          This was a unique opportunity to provide a joined-up transport interchange (trains, pedestrians, cycles and buses).

 

The Consultation Manager and Consents Development Manager (Network Rail) said the following in response to questions from members of the public and committee:

      i.          Initial construction planning work undertaken suggested that bringing construction materials by rail would only be possible during the night because there was no spare rail capacity during the day around Cambridge. This would disrupt overnight freight services and would require the construction of significant material handling facilities. This may be noisier for residents in the surrounding area as there were no existing sidings or similar facilities in the vicinity.

     ii.          Any trees planted by Fawcett school children that would be removed would be replaced.

   iii.          Construction hours, traffic and other activities such as constructor behaviour (eg dropping litter) would be outlined in a draft Code of Construction Practice.

   iv.          Litter bins would be put in Hobson’s Park in response to residents’ concerns.

    v.          Underground cycle parking would not be included as part of the scheme as it was beyond the budget to provide this.

   vi.          Commuter figures came from the Department for Transport.

 vii.          The final design of the (west) path would be developed in conjunction with the Local Highway Authority. The intention would be to implement an appropriately sized path for pedestrians/bikes that was suitable for the landscape (to minimise impact on the greenbelt).

viii.          The location of bus stops was not the responsibility of Network Rail.

 

 Action: Network Rail requested to write an interim report responding to questions raised at SAC, then make a further presentation at the next committee 08/03/21.