It will provide a ‘desperately needed new transport link’
The government has approved plans for a controversial new busway linking Cambridge and Cambourne. The Cambourne to Cambridge guided busway route, known as C2C, was first proposed in 2014 with a two-month public inquiry finishing in November of last year.
There were concerns about safety after the deaths of three people on a different busway in the county between 2015 and 2021. The project is estimated to cost £180m and will run through the century-old Coton Orchard, and has led to more than 300 objections to the route.
The plans will be delivered by Cambridgeshire County Council on behalf of the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP). The planned route will go via the new Bourn Airfield development, Hardwick, Coton and the university’s Cambridge West site.
The GCP said Cambourne is expected to grow “significantly” over the next few years, with plans for up to 13,000 new homes, and hope the busway will provide 10,000 daily passenger trips. The secretary of state approved the plans on Tuesday evening (September 8).
Cllr Brian Milnes, chair of the the GCP’s executive board, said that with thousands more homes planned for Cambourne, the route will be a “desperately needed new transport link”.
He said: “We all know how difficult it can be for residents to get from Cambourne into Cambridge. Whilst many objectors wanted Cambourne to Cambridge to take a different route, almost all of them agreed that improved public transport is essential for our area.”
Cllr Lucy Nethsingha, leader of Cambridgeshire County Council, said the link would give “tens of thousands of residents” easy access to “low carbon and low congestion transport into Cambridge city”. Cllr Katie Thornburrow, leader of Cambridge City Council, said the route was an “important component” of an “integrated transport solution for the region”.
She said: “Offering fast, efficient public transport along with options for active transport like cycling gives everyone more choice. I am confident this scheme will ease congestion and delays on key routes into the city, improve journey reliability and contribute to better air quality, while supporting sustainable growth for communities both now and in the future.”
Cllr Bridget Smith, leader of South Cambridgeshire District Council, said: “It’s vital our growing communities have a reliable, sustainable, and affordable way to travel between Cambourne and the city – giving them a genuine alternative to driving.
“It will be particularly transformational for younger residents – giving them better access to Cambridge’s opportunities.”

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