Cambridgeshire County had intended to submit an application for a Transport and Works Act Order in early November 2003, subject to receiving a majority vote in a full council meeting. However, only six weeks before this, a decision has been taken to defer the application until at least January 2004.

This deferral is a victory for common sense, and to all of CAST.IRON's supporters who are putting together a scheme to return trains to the railway line, using private finance, from the people who will use the line.

The delay may be due to the government indicating that it will not give in-principal funding this year for the £73m and rising busway, but it is likely to be a result of the impact that CAST.IRON is making.

A Cambridge Evening News reporter contacted CAST.IRON chairman Tim Phillips for comments. Tim said: There is now awareness among the public of a rail option on the table and there can be no doubt that this has contributed to the TWA application delay.

My guess is that the Cabinet realised that the council vote would be a close call on 16th September and so the guided bus was indeed in danger of being 'blown out of the water'.

He gave the following reasons:

a) Because CAST.IRON wrote to every single county councillor enclosing the Vision Document, the Story So Far and a copy of a letter to the County's director of Transport and Environment protesting about the Cabinet member for transport publicly dismissing the rail scheme as 'dead in the water', and advising people not to invest in CAST.IRON;

b) Because many CAST.IRON supporters have written independently to Councillors;

c) Because press and radio coverage of CAST.IRON, plus its leaflet campaign, has made the public aware that rail IS possible;

d) Because this awareness has enabled the public to question Councillors and officers in a way that they have not been questioned before.

e) In a recent parish council meeting CAST.IRON supporters were able to pose extremely awkward questions to the guided busway project leaders, who had no convincing reply.

CAST.IRON's Tim Phillips summed up saying: I simply do not believe the TWA application would have been delayed without CAST.IRON even though there was already plenty of opposition."

The Cambridge to St Ives Railway Organisation has demonstrated that the people can stand up against government for something they believe in.

CAST.IRON intends to use the two months delay in the TWA application to produce a robust business case. It will demonstrate to councillors how the 10-mile long rail line, which has the track still in place, run as a locally managed and locally operated part of the national rail network would be preferable to a much more expensive bus system that would merely provide a local service.

Information from jerry.alderson at railfuture.org.uk

The Cast.Iron website is at http://www.castiron.org.uk