Have your say on £27 million West Norfolk rail upgrade

Multi-million pound plans to upgrade West Norfolk's rail links will be outlined at an event in Lynn later today.

Residents are being invited to have their say on the scheme during a drop-in event to be held at King's Lynn Town Football Club this evening.

A total of £27 million has been allocated for work to allow eight-coach trains to run routinely on the stretch of track between Lynn and Cambridge.

To allow that to happen, new sidings are required near Lynn, as well as platform extensions at Littleport and Waterbeach, to accommodate the extended service.

Residents living near the proposed new sidings have said they are worried about the potential environmental impact of the work.

But Network Rail bosses say the scheme is vital for passengers and they will do all they can to minimise the effect on local people.

Meliha Duymaz, Network Rail's Anglia route managing director, said: “This important project will enable longer trains to run between Cambridge and King’s Lynn during peak times, providing a better service for passengers with more seats, reducing overcrowding.

“These events will give the local community an opportunity to speak to the project team to address any concerns they might have before works begin in the autumn.”

The drop-in event is in the board room at the Walks Stadium from 5pm until 8pm today.

The upgrade project is currently expected to begin in October and there is likely to be weekend disruption to services to allow the work to take place.

Longer trains are currently expected to come into service in late 2020.