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Cambridge Evening News September 17 2003

Railway line call

PLEAS have been made by councillors to re-open the St. lves to Cambridge railway line.

Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors said the guided bus was just one Option and a rail link should not he ruled out at full council meeting yesterday.

But Tories voted to pave the way for an application to the Government for permission to build the £75 million bus project. Many Opposition councillors abstained or voted against.

Lib Dem Coun Peter Downes said. "'1' here is not a great deal of enthusiasm for the present proposals in the west of the county where I represent. 'The council's publicity department uses words like radical and revolutionary but it is not and it is not rapid. The time taken by guided bus in 2007 will be seven minutes longer than trains took in the 1920s."

There were claims from Lib Dems the plan for the guided bus to run along the old railway line was a "spoiling tactic" to block future use of the rail line.

Conservative Coun Simon King said: 'The key issue is financial. It is quite clear alternatives are simply not viable."

The council will apply for a Transport and Works Act from the Government in January 2004.

PUBLISHED IN THE CAMBRIDGE EVENING NEWS 17/09/03 EDITION 39,392  - Page 10 © Cambridge Newspapers Ltd. All rights reserved