Suffolk Chamber of Commerce and Labour parliamentary candidate Jack Abbott call for rail junction improvements in Haughley and Ely

A business leader says it is ‘beyond bizarre’ that a rail junction upgrade which would boost the Suffolk economy has not yet been agreed.

Next month the Suffolk Chamber of Commerce will put their case to Louise Haigh MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Transport.

It will call for the national importance of junction upgrades in Haughley, near Stowmarket, and Ely, near Newmarket, to be recognised.

The chamber will ask for the long-delayed projects to be prioritised ahead of any other rail schemes.

Paul Simon, head of public affairs at Suffolk Chamber, added: “With every pound spent on the projects likely to produce £5 in benefits, the case for Ely and Haughley is overwhelming.

“It is almost beyond bizarre that such a nationally vital scheme hasn’t been given the go-ahead over the last 15 years or so.

“Our hour-long meeting with Louise Haigh will give us the perfect opportunity to demonstrate the national importance of these vital rail projects.”

The chamber said it has been in regular contact with both Rt Hon Mark Harper MP, Secretary of State for Transport and Rail Minister Huw Merriman MP.

It has urged their department to release the development funds required to allow Network Rail to develop a full business case and have the necessary powers to begin work at Ely under a Transport & Works Act Order.

The meeting between Louise Haigh and the Chamber is scheduled to take place on May 21 and has been organised by Jack Abbott, the Labour Party’s parliamentary candidate for Ipswich.

He said: “The Ely and Haughley junction upgrades are absolutely critical to the future prosperity of Ipswich, Suffolk and our wider region.

“We are all so frustrated that two comparatively straightforward schemes have been left gathering dust after nearly a decade and a half of Government indecision.”