Civil engineer Lord Robert Mair has been appointed chair of the delivery company for the Cambridgeshire Autonomous Metro (CAM). The Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority approved Mair’s appointment today (30.9.20) to lead the CAM special purpose vehicle (SPV), which has been incorporated with the name One CAM Limited. 

Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough James Palmer said that Mair’s appointment was a key milestone for CAM and the ongoing transition to delivery via the dedicated One CAM Ltd SPV. “The appointment of Lord Mair is another step forward for the delivery of CAM,” said Palmer. “The dedicated delivery body, One CAM Ltd, will harness the leading expertise locally, nationally and internationally, we need to make CAM happen.

“With Lord Mair as board chair, we have someone who is globally recognised as being at the very cutting edge of advanced infrastructure delivery. With his Cambridge roots, I could not think of anyone better to be the first chair of our delivery body tasked with delivering an innovative, world-leading public transport network for our region,” he said.

Lord Mair’s career has combined work as a leading academic at the University of Cambridge with providing cutting-edge expertise for a range of challenging underground construction schemes nationally and globally. Business case work completed on CAM so far has identified tunnels under Cambridge city centre as a key component of creating a joined-up, world-leading regional public transport network.

Lord Mair’s extensive experience includes being involved in the design and construction of London’s Jubilee Line Extension, HS1 and Crossrail. He is currently advising on design and construction aspects of HS2. Lord Mair has advised on or been a member of expert review panels for major international underground construction projects, notably metro projects in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bologna, Florence, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Rome, Singapore and Warsaw. He was also president of the Institution of Civil Engineers from 2017-18.

Commenting on his appointment, Mair said: “I grew up, went to school and graduated in Cambridge, returning to the University in 1998 after 27 years in industry. With this background I have a very strong affection and affiliation with this great city and the region. The vision for CAM is exciting. A flexible, innovative system will be essential in creating the better transport future the region needs and deserves, while also delivering the decarbonised journeys needed to help safeguard the environment. The unprecedented effects of a global pandemic have also caused a significant shift in how people travel, which must also be factored into any new transport scheme.”