Freight has assumed a new and much higher priority in a bold new vision for the line currently under construction to connect the university cities of Oxford and Cambridge. Network Rail has laid out an enhanced vision for the line, calling the current project the core section, and looking to connect cities as far apart as Southampton and Cardiff in the south west with Norwich and Ipswich in the east. The new strategic statement shows the line as an ambitious opportunity to lead an axis of economic development far beyond its 65 route miles (104 km).