A huge public transport project that could reshape commuting into Cambridge has moved a step closer, with Cambridgeshire County Council preparing to invite bids for a £150 million busway connecting the city to Cambourne.
Plans for a major new busway between Cambourne and Cambridge have taken an important step forward after a procurement notice revealed when construction companies will be invited to bid for the project.
The scheme, led by Cambridgeshire County Council, would see a dedicated busway corridor built between Cambourne and Cambridge, alongside new park-and-ride facilities designed to make commuting into the city easier.
The construction contract alone is expected to be worth around £150 million, rising to roughly £180 million including VAT, making it one of the largest transport projects currently planned in Cambridgeshire.
When the project could start
According to the notice, the council expects to publish the official tender for the project on 11 May 2026.
If the project moves ahead on schedule, construction could start in January 2027 and continue until 2031, meaning several years of major infrastructure work along the route.
The council plans to run the procurement using a competitive flexible procedure, a process introduced under the Procurement Act 2023 that allows authorities to tailor procurement processes for large and complex projects.
A response to growing congestion
Traffic congestion has long been a concern for commuters travelling between Cambourne and Cambridge.
Cambourne, located about nine miles west of Cambridge, has expanded rapidly in recent years and further housing development is planned in the surrounding area.
Transport planners hope the busway will provide a faster and more reliable public transport route, encouraging more people to leave their cars at home.
Part of a bigger transport plan
The project forms part of the Greater Cambridge sustainable transport programme, which aims to improve travel options while supporting economic growth across the region.
Once the tender is formally released later this year, major infrastructure contractors are expected to compete for the opportunity to deliver the large-scale civil engineering project.
What the new busway route would include
Plans for the route show it running from Cambourne into Cambridge via the Bourn Airfield development, Hardwick, Coton and the West Cambridge site, creating a new dedicated public transport corridor linking expanding communities with key employment and education centres.
The scheme would also include a major new travel hub at Scotland Farm near Dry Drayton, with around 2,000 car parking spaces and 300 cycle parking spaces. The hub is designed to act as a park-and-ride facility, allowing drivers from surrounding villages and the A428 corridor to transfer easily onto bus services into Cambridge.
Facilities at the travel hub are expected to include shelter, seating, passenger information screens and toilet facilities, as well as secure cycle storage. Lighting would use LED technology designed to improve safety while minimising impacts on wildlife and the night sky.
Alongside the bus route, the project would also create a continuous path for walkers, cyclists and where appropriate horse riders, linking into other local routes such as the planned Comberton Greenway and expanding the area’s rural active travel network.
Faster journeys and frequent services
Transport planners say the scheme would provide “turn up and go” bus services, with buses running every 10 minutes between Cambourne and Cambridge city centre.
In total, the route could support up to eight buses per hour in each direction. Six services per hour would travel between Cambourne and Cambridge city centre, railway station and the Biomedical Campus, while two services per hour could run via the M11 directly to the biomedical campus.
Supporters of the project say this could halve journey times between Cambourne and Cambridge, while ensuring buses avoid the congestion that regularly affects commuter routes into the city.
The route itself would mostly consist of a single carriageway road reserved for buses, meaning private vehicles would not have access. In some places the route would use existing roads, with traffic lights controlling junctions to ensure safety.
An emergency access and maintenance track would run alongside the busway and also serve as the walking and cycling path.
New stops along the route
Several bus stops are planned along the route, each with shelters, seating and real-time passenger information displays.
Proposed stops include:
- Cambourne
- Two stops at the Bourn Airfield development
- Scotland Farm Travel Hub
- Hardwick
- Coton
- Cambridge West
Some stops could also include additional facilities such as cycle parking, cycle lockers, drop-off areas and Blue Badge parking bays where space allows.
Why the scheme is being proposed
The project is designed to support major planned housing and employment growth in the area.
This includes 2,350 new homes at Cambourne West, around 3,500 homes at Bourn Airfield, and more than 383,000 square metres of employment space at the West Cambridge campus.
Local authorities say the growth will place increasing pressure on roads between Cambourne and Cambridge, particularly during peak commuting hours.
By providing a dedicated bus route and improved cycling and walking connections, planners hope the scheme will offer quicker, greener and more reliable alternatives to driving.
