STUDY carried out by the HANDLEY PARTNERSHIP, Civil & Transportation Engineers of Northallerton

The initial investigations into the proposal to reinstate the former railway between Cambridge and Sudbury havebeen completed. The study involved a visual assessment of the former route and an estimation of likely constructions costs and revenues. Initial considerations as to the environmental impacts of the proposal have been made and options for further investigation have been identified.

The initial investigations into the proposal to reinstate the former railway between Cambridge and Sudbury have now been completed. The study involved a visual assessment of the former route and an estimation of likely constructions costs and revenues. Initial considerations as to the environmental impacts of the proposal have been made and options for further investigation have been identified.

The key findings of the study can be summarised as follows:

The reinstatement of the former railway between Cambridge and Sudbury is feasible in engineering terms without recourse to any operation which would be considered non standard, There are a number of locations along the route at which considerable investment will be required to overcome obstacles, but in all identified locations solutions are available.

• The cost of reinstatement of the full length of the railway will be in the order of £49m. The study identified a number of staged construction options with capital costs of between £7.7m and £43.5m. The revenue accruing to the operation of the line will depend upon the stage of construction adopted but will, for the options with the best value, be in the range of £700k to £1.34m.

• The level of revenue which the line will attract will not be sufficient for it to operate profitably. Therefore, financial support will be required in terms of capital funding for the construction and/or revenue funding to support the long-term operation.
The project will need to be planned very carefully to minimise any potential environmental disruption, but in general in the most sensitive locations the original formation is unobstructed.

• Further investigation of the Cambridge to Haverhill option, together with a more accurate revenue modelling and commercial opportunity analysis should now be carried out.

Please be aware that this study was undertaken in 1998 and cost have now increased.