FAQs

We are proposing a new public transport route between Waterbeach and Cambridge. It will be one of four routes around the city linking Cambridge with the surrounding area. All have the same aim: to avoid congestion and make quicker journeys, into and out of Cambridge by public transport, walking and cycling.  

The A10 from Waterbeach to Cambridge suffers from significant congestion at peak times, particularly at the Cambridge end, meaning that people can be sitting in traffic for lengthy periods.

Planned or potential large developments in the area, such as Waterbeach New Town and Science Park/North East Cambridge expansion, will place considerable additional pressure on the corridor causing further congestion.  

We plan to manage this with a new public transport route to avoid congestion and make quicker journeys, into and out of Cambridge from the north of the county by public transport, walking and cycling.

We will be engaging with the public on possible route options in the summer of 2020. This will include asking the public and stakeholder for their views. Once we have gathered feedback from the public and stakeholders we will develop more specific proposals which will go to the Executive Board in October 2020. The proposals will then go out for public consultation.

The project will be funded by the Greater Cambridge Partnership through the City Deal monies it receives from central government.

The decision over the final route and whether to proceed to construction will be made by the Greater Cambridge Partnership Executive Board. The membership of the Executive Board can be found on our website.

No, it’s not. Other bodies are looking at the possibility dualling of the A10 and we are not involved in that decision. Although there is a clear relationship between the two projects, we will consider a proposed route from Waterbeach to Cambridge independently of plans for dualling the A10.  

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority is planning to construct the CAM as part of its Local Transport Plan. This project, along with three other GCP public transport, cycling and walking routes around the city, could also form an integral part of the Cambridgeshire Autonomous Metro (CAM).

GCP’s plans are continually reviewed to ensure compliance with local strategies and have been designed to be adaptable to developing proposals.

COVID-19 has led to significant reduction in travel in the short term and that may lead to a long term change. However this project is looking to achieve two aims:-

• To improve current provision in public transport, cycling and walking between Cambridge and Waterbeach, 
• To meet future need as Waterbeach and North East Cambridge grows.

The local economy in Cambridge is based around growing technology and specialist sectors such as biomedical research.  So the need to improve public transport, cycling and walking between Cambridge to Waterbeach remains.

This project along with all of GCP’s transport projects aims to help get Cambridge moving again and support the City’s recovery from Covid-19.