The Cambridge Growth Company (CGC) and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) have kicked off work on a strategic business case for a possible mass rapid transit (MRT) system in Greater Cambridge.
This move shows a fresh effort to address long‑standing transport problems across this fast-growing area.
Commissioned by central government departments – the Department for Transport, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and HM Treasury – the study will create a project-level Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC). It’ll look at whether an MRT could back planned economic and housing growth, plus how it might be built and paid for.
Consultancy WSP has been hired to do the work. CGC and CPCA say local councils, transport operators, businesses, and community groups will all help guide it. The study’s results will feed into the Greater Cambridge Transport Strategy being put together by CPCA, expected to be approved in November 2026.
The study covers figuring out why change is needed based on evidence; putting together a long list of transport options from small fixes up to full MRT ideas; then narrowing down to a clear shortlist of workable schemes. They’re thinking about tram, light rail, bus rapid transit (BRT), and automated systems as possible modes.
Officials say they’ll judge shortlisted options by how well they support long-term growth, if they’re doable, cost-effective, environmentally sound, and can actually get built. The final SOBC will follow HM Treasury Green Book rules and detail estimated costs, benefits, funding ideas, plus suggest next steps to share with government departments.
Paul Bristow, Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, called this launch “a real step forward” toward “transformative infrastructure investment” he says the area badly needs. CPCA and local partners have often talked about big economic growth ambitions for Greater Cambridge – known nationally as a tech and research hub – but transport limits have been holding future development back.
Bristow said this study would give “an honest assessment of what a modern, reliable, connected system should look like.” He added that “sticking plaster solutions won’t do,” making it clear they want long-term infrastructure plans rather than quick fixes.
Greater Cambridge is one of the UK’s key economic spots with lots of high-tech firms, research centres, and growing housing needs. Issues like traffic congestion and poor public transport links between jobsites, new homes, and city centre keep coming up in planning talks.
An MRT system – depending on which type gets picked – could offer higher-capacity, reliable cross-city connections than current buses, and maybe even shape where new development happens or how easy it is to get around for work or services.
Philip Harker from CGC said: “Congestion in Cambridge is already holding back our communities and our economy. Employers are telling us that investment decisions are being delayed until credible solutions are found. That is why the Cambridge Growth Company was established, to bring focus and capacity to complex infrastructure challenges like this. Working with government departmentsand the CPCA, we’re moving at pace to explore Mass Rapid Transit as a viable means of easing pressure across the whole transport system.”
“This Strategic Outline Business Case is a crucial first step in making the case for the investment neededto help people move efficientlyandsustainably intoandacrossthe city.”
Judith Barker from CPCA said: “Greater Cambridge is one ofthe UK’s economic engines, andit needs transport that matches that ambition. This study helps us understand what it will take todeliverthe Mayor’s visionfor a Mass Rapid Transit systemthatsupportslong‑term growthand improveshowpeoplemovearoundthe area.”
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