Extending the proposed £2bn Cambridgeshire Autonomous Metro transport system to Peterborough and Chatteris is being considered ahead of the business case phase, which starts next month.

Earlier this week the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) released details of conceptual designs which are being used as a starting point for how the new transport system will operate.

But today C&P Mayor James Palmer explained how the proposed new network could incorporate seven new stops in the north west of the region. The existing proposal incorporated 39 and linked Cambridge with St Neots, Haverhill, Mildenhall, Hauxton, Waterbeach and Alconbury Weald.

He said: “The CAM Network will be a platform for growth across the entire region; a driver of sustainable growth, connecting people and jobs with new housing solutions built in the right places and in the right way. We want to hear from those communities across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough who want to be a part of that.

“What these conceptual designs have shown is that we can deliver world class, future-ready public transport right across the region. We have some groundbreaking ideas for flexible, adaptable, deliverable public transport that can truly reach every corner of our county. These designs show us how stops along the routes can be simple and lightweight, allowing us to connect more communities.

“We need communities and businesses to stand up and make the case for CAM to come to them. If there is a demand for more jobs, and new homes for people, underpinned by sustainable infrastructure, then we can work with those places to explore those possibilities.

“We want to build on these conceptual designs, and build on CAM’s potential to grow and adapt to the needs of the region throughout the next century and more. To set our economy up for a future of more jobs and opportunity, of environmental sustainability and a better quality of life, we need infrastructure that works for the whole of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.”

On Tuesday conceptual design submissions from Dromos Technologies, Egis and Mott MacDonald were revealed, the first phase in finding an ultimate delivery solution. Their plans included the style of vehicle, the infrastructure and how the system would operate.