The leader of Cambridgeshire County Council, Cllr Lucy Nethsingha, has welcomed proposals for the preferred East West Rail route between Bedford and Cambridge.

The government has said the £5billion project will "improve connections between UK science powerhouses in Oxford and Cambridge".

Cllr Lucy Nethsingha, leader of Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “It is good to have an announcement on East West Rail."

"This is a nationally important piece of infrastructure, and we have been supportive of the principle of the rail link between Oxford and Cambridge for many years.

"It was good to hear a renewed government commitment to the project earlier in the year, and we are keen to study the detail of these proposals.

EWR said the new route would connect to the London-Edinburgh main line with a new station being built at Tempsford, between St Neots and Sandy.

It said it would have greater advantages compared to building a new station at St Neots South, which had been proposed as an alternative.

It said the Tempsford station would "enable a new community to grow, including opportunities to improve biodiversity and give more people access to green spaces".

Cllr Nethsingha continued: "Rail travel is one of the most efficient and greenest transport systems, and increasing the opportunities for rail transport in our area is a key priority and important as part of our commitment to a greener fairer Cambridgeshire.

“We will look closely at the detail of what has been announced today, we want to understand the exact alignment and what this means for residents and particular areas of the county.

We look forward to working with our communities and with the East West Rail Company to understand and refine the proposals and address local concerns. We are also keen to understand whether the calls for the line to be electric from the start have been heard.”