David Ruffley MP has made a joint submission for the improvement of rail services to Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket to Secretary of State for Transport, Justine Greening. It was presented to her on Thursday 5 July in the House of Commons.

David Ruffley MP said: 'The East of England has suffered for too long from the effects of under-investment in its rail network.

This rail prospectus for East Anglia that I have agreed with fellow East Anglian MPs and the local LEP highlights the opportunity to recognise the growing population in the Stowmarket and Bury St Edmunds areas and the need for a faster, more efficient and reliable rail service. Our rail prospectus also recognises the fact that Bury St Edmunds is the business centre of west Suffolk as well as being a prominent tourist destination and needs the strong transport links to sustain its position in the county. As part of this our prospectus strongly recommends increasing the frequency of trains on the Cambridge to Ipswich route which serves Bury St Edmunds to two per hour.

The rolling stock on many routes is not fit for purpose and we need significant investment in the infrastructure to ensure that Suffolk's potential is realised. I will be pressing for Justine Greening to fully consider the importance of the Suffolk rail network when she makes key decisions in the coming months.'