Daniel Zeichner today demands the City Council and Network Rail abandon their secrecy concerning plans for a Cambridge station 'Island' platform and proposals to convert adjacent railway sidings into high density housing and launch a full public consultation.

Daniel Zeichner said 'We welcome the commitment Network Rail made to the Labour Government to
complete a badly needed new Island platform in 2011.  Peak and offpeak Kings Cross travellers and Liverpool Street commuters deserve more 12 carriage trains, and all travellers want an end to irritating delays arriving back into Cambridge.  The city council and Network Rail must publish these plans and get the public's comments on the Island platform design, as well as plans for housing on the sidings.'

Cllr Lewis Herbert, Councillor for the adjacent Coleridge ward and City Labour Group Leader, said
'Coleridge residents need guarantees that Network Rail's plans will not cause them massive environmental damage.  We already suffer outrageous levels of uncontrolled spill-over station parking on residential roads on our side of the lines.  So we definitely don't want the otherwise very welcome Island platform to include a future footbridge link to Coleridge.  Nor do we want ten soulless blocks of housing on the sidings.'

Daniel Zeichner added 'Cambridge residents also need a guarantee from both City and County councils that the 'Rustat gap' has not been reserved for a future road tunnel, resurrecting previously dropped plans for a direct road and guided bus link from the station to the
unsustainable 12000 houses proposed by the city and county councils at Marshall
airport.'

Further context regarding the Island platform, the potential for housing on the sidings and the situation regarding Clifton Road Industrial Estate can be found in this summary compiled by Cllr Herbert.