Bury St Edmunds MP calls for improvements to Bury Rail Station

MP Jo Churchill has written to the Secretary of State for Transport calling for improvements to the rail line through Bury St Edmunds.

The Bury MP says there is inadequate parking at the station, services run infrequently and are often overcrowded.

Her letter to Patrick McLoughlin comes in advance of tender submissions for the East Anglia Rail Franchise.

Three companies, Abellio East Anglia, a joint venture between Abellio and Stagecoach, First East Anglia, and National Express East Anglia Trains have all been accepted to bid for the franchise.

The Bury station carries 600,000 people a year but has only 25 parking spaces.

Mrs Churchill proposes the rail line is expanded between Bury and Cambridge and more land is made available for commuter parking.

She has already written to Claire Perry, under secretary of state for transport, calling for an hourly service between Ipswich and Peterborough.

Borough councillor for the Risbygate Ward David Nettleton says he does not believe more parking is needed but backed the call for improved services including a direct line to London.

“A direct line would be so good for Bury as it is a bit of a journey to get to the capital early in the morning.

“I go all over the country on trains and it is difficult to get to Bury.

“The station is a bit of a mess, a bit of a disgrace inside and out. It needs investment as it doesn’t look like a modern day railway station.

“The car park has hardly ever been used as people mainly drop off and pick up. People have got used to walking there. We don’t need space for a car park it will just create congestion in the area,” he added.