A public consultation on improving rail capacity at Ely to take more freight from Felixstowe has started.

Achieving an hourly Ipswich to Peterborough passenger rail service and enabling more freight to travel by rail has moved a step closer with the announcement that Network Rail will be seeking the public's views on a proposed scheme that will unlock rail congestion at Ely Station.

The railway track through Ely Station forms part of a key rail corridor for passenger services running from Suffolk to Peterborough, the Midlands and the North. It also forms part of the Freight Rail Network that links freight rail services from the Port of Felixstowe to the Midlands and to the North of England.

Network Rail will be gathering views from members of the public by hosting a series of online events. The results of the consultation will then be used to develop a business case for investing in rail infrastructure that will unlock the congested area at Ely Station.

Cllr Andrew Reid, Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Rural Affairs at Suffolk County Council, said: "This is a big deal for Suffolk and East Anglia. Unlocking rail capacity at Ely will go a long way to enabling Suffolk to achieve an hourly passenger rail service between Ipswich and Peterborough (which currently operates two-hourly), and to provide additional train paths for more freight rail services to travel from the Port of Felixstowe. Ely currently acts as a blocker to Suffolk achieving both of these things.

"Suffolk County Council has worked with the Ely Taskforce to ensure that the rail capacity issues at Ely Station receives the recognition they desperately deserve, and most importantly that solutions are found to address the capacity constraints."

Network Rail will be launching a public consultation on the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement Scheme (EACE) on Monday 21st September. The consultation will run for six weeks – further information is also available by telephoning Network Rail's Customer Contact Centre. Details about the rail project and the public consultation can be found here.