Local MPs have expressed concern over whether upgrades to a crucial rail junction just outside Norfolk could be scrapped.
The East of England All Party Parliamentary Group has written to transport secretary Grant Shapps, saying it is “most concerned” about whether Ely Junction, in Cambridgeshire, will receive investment for what it calls “overdue” improvements.
The group, which is co-chaired by Waveney’s Conservative MP Peter Aldous, said its concern had been caused by a letter they received from Mr Shapps' junior colleague, minister of state for transport Wendy Morton.
Ms Morton’s letter had been sent in response to an earlier letter from the group, which had urged improvements not just to Ely but also to Haughley Junction in Suffolk.
Ely Junction is important because it links five lines connecting Norwich, Ipswich, Cambridge, Peterborough and King’s Lynn.
Ms Morton said that while the Ely programme had a “strong alignment” with the government’s priorities, she was still deciding which projects across the country to give funding to, and some will have to be “cancelled or indefinitely paused”.
She notes that the scheme “continues to demonstrate sound decarbonisation and connectivity benefits, but it also continues to require a significant amount of public funding, with a total cost of over £450m”.
And she adds that, post-pandemic, “it is becoming clear that travel patterns are likely to have changed into the longer term and [the] government is therefore having to make difficult decisions to restore the railway’s financial sustainability”.
In a new letter to Mr Shapps, the group states that not achieving the upgrade in full could breach the government’s own policy of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
They add that the junction is particularly important for freight coming from the freeport at Felixstowe, and so the reference to the “travel patterns” of passengers is misplaced.
“As a significant contributor to the UK economy this investment would be good for UK PLC as well as for businesses and communities in the East of England,” the group’s letter reads.
“It would also help the Government deliver its ambitions to level up the country, achieve net zero, and drive global Britain forward whilst simultaneously increasing the East of England’s already net contribution to the Treasury.”
A Department for Transport spokeswoman said: “The pandemic has brought about enormous change to the railways, and government is having to make difficult decisions to bring spending back to affordable levels.
“We understand the local interest in the Ely and Haughley junction projects and will publish an update on this shortly.”
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