A guided busway which will wreck the former Cambridge-St Ives rail line is now awaiting a handout from the Government.

The scheme was approved after a £3.2million public inquiry despite there being 2,500 objectors.

Cambridgeshire County Council was spending council taxpayers money to prove the case for this unpopular scheme.

Objectors had to pay their own costs and the playing field was far from even, said Tim Phillips, chairman of Cast.Iron which wants to rebuild the railway.

“Unfortunately even the lowliest individual objector, appearing during the day at his or her own expense, was treated like a criminal defendant by London barrister Mr Robin Purchas QC and his highly paid team,” he said.

“All in all a fine example of local democracy at work.”

Mr Phillips says that if the busway is built it will be in the face of overwhelming public opposition.

He says: “The scheme’s promoters should tread carefully, for it remains deeply unpopular and desperately short of finance, not a favourable combination for elected local politicians.

”The similar ‘Fastway’ scheme under construction in Crawley is already £6million over budget and attracts letters of derision in the local press on a weekly basis.

“It is commonly referred to as ‘Farceway’ and at least four leading council members are coming under pressure to resign.”

Mr Phillips says the popular acronym for the Cambridge scheme is MGB - for MisGuided Bus.

In a county council “factsheet”, the journey time from Cambridge to Huntingdon is predicted at 54 minutes for the 18 miles. By contrast a train between Bedford and Luton stopping at three stations along the way takes 23 minutes. The traditional all-stations service on the Bedford-Bletchley line with old trains takes 42 minutes.

The “world’s longest guided busway”, with 14 stops, is partly designed to serve new housing estates at Northstowe and Clay Farm.

cast.iron