The UK Department for Transport has approved plans to upgrade Anglia's rail freight route from Felixstowe to Nuneaton, including the double-track Ipswich Chord, following a comprehensive spending review on 20 October.
Once Network Rail's upgrade of the line from Felixstowe to Nuneaton is complete, via Ipswich, Ely and Peterborough, it will provide more direct journeys from the port at Felixstowe to the midlands, north-west and Scotland.
Improvements of the Felixstowe-Nuneaton line include gauge enhancements between Peterborough and Nuneaton, a flyover north of Nuneaton station, as well as capacity enhancements between Ipswich and Peterborough.
This involves a 1km stretch of track north of Ipswich goods yard, linking the East Suffolk and Great Eastern lines, as well as two 775m sections of track east of Ely station and signalling works at Kennett / Bury St Edmunds.
Network Rail will carry out public consultations on the project in February 2011, and if the scheme receives approval, it will begin work in 2012 and should complete by March 2014.
