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Redoubling Cambridge to Chippenham Junction (Newmarket)

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ac6000cw

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It was singled on Sunday 22nd May 1983. Very short sighted.

Why? The current track layout is adequate for the train service (which has doubled in frequency since 1983), and the railway has benefited from 35 years of reduced track maintenance costs since the singling.
 
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Bald Rick

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Why? The current track layout is adequate for the train service (which has doubled in frequency since 1983), and the railway has benefited from 35 years of reduced track maintenance costs since the singling.

Indeed there’s 35 years of avoided track renewal costs, which will be in the scores of millions.

Frankly that line was lucky to stay open.
 

billio

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Why? The current track layout is adequate for the train service (which has doubled in frequency since 1983), and the railway has benefited from 35 years of reduced track maintenance costs since the singling.
Is there a relationship between the number of trains travelling over a line and the need for maintenance ?.
 

Ianno87

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Why? The current track layout is adequate for the train service (which has doubled in frequency since 1983), and the railway has benefited from 35 years of reduced track maintenance costs since the singling.

The present hourly service is only itself a relatively recent innovation. As late as 2003 the service was still 2-hourly.
 

eastdyke

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Frankly that line was lucky to stay open.
Lucky? It was never proposed by Beeching for closure.
Perhaps the aristocratic connections afforded by the horse racing industry in Newmarket would have caused too many distractive battles, especially in the House of Lords? There were probably 'words in his ear'.
The horse racing industry was of course not slow to dump the railway.
 

Neen Sollars

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East West Rail (EWR) is coming to Cambridge, consultation on proposed routes is about to start. However to capitalise on the upgraded rail links to the west, the stated aim of the EWR consortium is also to improve rail journeys to the east to benefit the whole of East Anglia. So how can the line from Cambridge - Newmarket - Bury St Edmunds (BSE) and on to Ipswich be upgraded to improve the service?
I have viewed the closed thread "Cambridge-Newmarket electrification candidate" but it appears that electrification is not going to happen. So think upgraded line for DEMU, BEMU, Bi Mode, Hydrogen powered trains.
It looks as if an upgrade to this line will happen, what do the users of this line want from an improved service and what new possible destinations do they want, would they expect to change trains at Cambridge for East West Rail?

edit, Now I have discovered this thread, it is clear there are stations on this line that could re-open. I note there was once a rail line from Fordham to Mildenhall. Would a local Mildenhall to Cambs service be viable in the future?
 

Tobbes

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I note there was once a rail line from Fordham to Mildenhall. Would a local Mildenhall to Cambs service be viable in the future?

Yes, especially when the airbase becomes a housing estate. However, this would likely be a new station(s) and would need the SW/NW curve of the Newmarket triangle reinstating. It's also not clear to me that there is much to be gained by following the (lightly engineered) old route - diverging north of the A14 and south of Snailwell and running more directly to Mildenhall / the airbase would seem sensible.
 

Neen Sollars

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Yes, especially when the airbase becomes a housing estate. However, this would likely be a new station(s) and would need the SW/NW curve of the Newmarket triangle reinstating. It's also not clear to me that there is much to be gained by following the (lightly engineered) old route - diverging north of the A14 and south of Snailwell and running more directly to Mildenhall / the airbase would seem sensible.

Would that be a single branch line into a two platform station? Re-instating the SW/NW curve of the Newmarket triangle looks a no brainer for East of Cambridge rail improvements, If Mildenhall new town does not happen perhaps run a local Soham to Cambs via the curve through Newmarket. It would be a bit of a faff to run Soham, Mildenhall and then Newmarket though.
 

Tobbes

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A Cambs-Newmarket-Soham-Ely and return service would be great, irrespective of Mildenhall's new town. However, the greater Cambridge area needs the housing at Mildenhall, so I'm confident that it will be built. I can't see the case for relaying the old GER Mildenhall direct route via Quy, Bottisham and Burwell, sadly - even if in the 1961 timetable the "via Newmarket" was c. 60 minutes rather than c. 48 mins direct via Quy.

Hard to know with modern traction (especially electric) what the comparative times would be versus a railbus or a GER E4 Intermediate.
 

Tobbes

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What was the funding proposal?

Essentially, it was for the public sector to become the strategic land developer and then sell off building sites with the planning permission and with the major utilities and infrastructure, reaping the uplift. PSA file for the whole report.
 

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  • IEA Housing Competition Submission - T Fenwick.pdf
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camflyer

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Yes, especially when the airbase becomes a housing estate. However, this would likely be a new station(s) and would need the SW/NW curve of the Newmarket triangle reinstating. It's also not clear to me that there is much to be gained by following the (lightly engineered) old route - diverging north of the A14 and south of Snailwell and running more directly to Mildenhall / the airbase would seem sensible.

All the A14 needs in that area is 1) Sorting out the Four Wentways junction and making it grade separated 2) Rebuilding the A14/A142 junction at Newmarket which is blocked at peak times every morning and evening.

A new rail route of Newmarket - Red Lodge - Mildenhall - Thetford - Norwich would be interesting but probably hard to justify economically.
 

Tobbes

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A new rail route of Newmarket - Red Lodge - Mildenhall - Thetford - Norwich would be interesting but probably hard to justify economically.

I suppose it depends on how many houses you were expecting to build in the Red Lodge - Thetford corridor.
 

Neen Sollars

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All sorts of issues there arising from land sales and subsequent development :(
https://www.google.com/maps/place/N...:0x3c27bf897e7611fd!8m2!3d52.24488!4d0.407962
It looks from the satellite link you provide and from other videos and photos, that the current Newmarket station platform is built on one of the former running lines. It also looks as if the former station building(s) is now used for commercial premises, and likely to be a listed building? However there is ample space at this location for a new station and large car park, the solution could be for Network Rail to buy back the site. Perhaps as already suggested, an upgraded single line with new stations and passing places, re-instate the SW/NW curve of Newmarket Triangle and then build new line to Mildenhall with hopefully a useful station built to be of use to Fordham and Soham residents. Mildenhall to Cambs 26 miles, 45 mins travel time? I think this line is the line in need of the greatest investment to benefit from EWR, major upgrade needed looking at a Borders Railway style upgrade, suggest closing the line at Newmarket during works and running the service anti clockwise into Cambs via Ely. So chord and re- doubling Soham to Ely essential as a first step. The people of East Anglia should not have to wait until EWR arrives at Cambs for work to start on their improvements, the work should be timed to finish with the arrival of EWR. I hope all of you who live in the locality will lobby the NewAnglia LEP, your MPs and anyone else who has influence on the situation to press for these improvements by 2030.
 

eastdyke

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camflyer

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It looks from the satellite link you provide and from other videos and photos, that the current Newmarket station platform is built on one of the former running lines. It also looks as if the former station building(s) is now used for commercial premises, and likely to be a listed building? However there is ample space at this location for a new station and large car park, the solution could be for Network Rail to buy back the site.

Yes, that would be the ideal solution. Currently there are only a handful of proper parking spaces at the station most people with cars have to use on-street parking. The old station building is currently used for offices. The area is ripe for redevelopment - maybe with a hotel to help finance things.

The station had £100,000 spent on it a couple of years ago but all we got was a ticket machine (which is out of order half of the time), some slightly better shelters and some posters about the history of horse racing.
 

Meerkat

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Is there capacity to have Mildenhall trains crossing the Ipswich-Ely line on the flat?
If you build to Mildenhall isn’t it worth carrying on to Lakenheath too?

If you need to build houses in the area why not build them on Cambridge Airport and move all operations there to Mildenhall (which seems safer and quieter than having planes going over central Cambridge...). My crayons say then replace the Cherry Hinton section with a wider curve that goes through the Airport site.
 

camflyer

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Is there capacity to have Mildenhall trains crossing the Ipswich-Ely line on the flat?
If you build to Mildenhall isn’t it worth carrying on to Lakenheath too?

If you need to build houses in the area why not build them on Cambridge Airport and move all operations there to Mildenhall (which seems safer and quieter than having planes going over central Cambridge...). My crayons say then replace the Cherry Hinton section with a wider curve that goes through the Airport site.

I dread to think how Newmarket Road in Cambridge would cope with a few thousand new homes on the airport site.

There is already a planned development north of the airport between Newmarket Rd and the A14

https://marshallgroupproperties.co.uk/developments/wing/
 

Meerkat

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I dread to think how Newmarket Road in Cambridge would cope with a few thousand new homes on the airport site.

Well they should be near enough to not drive inward, and close to the A14 to go outwards
 

Tobbes

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Is there capacity to have Mildenhall trains crossing the Ipswich-Ely line on the flat?

No idea - @Bald Rick ?

If you build to Mildenhall isn’t it worth carrying on to Lakenheath too?

If you go to Mildenhall (Beck Row) it is worth going on to Lakenheath and then connecting to the Ely-Norwich line near the existing Lakenheath station.

If you need to build houses in the area why not build them on Cambridge Airport and move all operations there to Mildenhall (which seems safer and quieter than having planes going over central Cambridge...). My crayons say then replace the Cherry Hinton section with a wider curve that goes through the Airport site.

Small issue is that Mildenhall is MoD owned, and Cambridge Airport privately owned by Marshall's (who would probably move out somewhere else if you offered them domestic planning permission on the whole of the airport, but anyway...). The MoD 10-year financial plan presumably incorporates revenue from selling Mildenhall off in the 2020s, so it is very likely to go ahead.
 

jopsuk

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If you need to build houses in the area why not build them on Cambridge Airport and move all operations there to Mildenhall (which seems safer and quieter than having planes going over central Cambridge...). My crayons say then replace the Cherry Hinton section with a wider curve that goes through the Airport site.
Moving Marhsalls to Mildenhall has been mooted in the past- it would still need a good public transport link, as it is major employer, though one that has a relatively high (for Cambridge) drive-to-work rate.

If we're going full crayon, then build a junction just north of the A14, an intermediate station at Bottisham and then roughly in along the old Newmarket Road, to pick up the existing line near the Links golf course. The existing alignment can then, with modifications (eg demolishing and replacing the bridge over Coldham's Lane with a higher one with wider spaced abutments), be turned into a cycleway of far higher quality than the one on the existing route, extending out through Dullingham. The new route would thus serve the Science Park, Business park, Innovation park and the future businesses at the s*** farm. For bonus NIMBY poking you could even suggest making Bottisham a major development zone.

I'd then put a junction east of Kenett, sending the line via Red Lodge (station), Mildenhall (station), Lakenheath village (station), Elveden (station) and on to Thetford
 

eastdyke

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If you need to build houses in the area why not build them on Cambridge Airport and move all operations there to Mildenhall (which seems safer and quieter than having planes going over central Cambridge...). .
An argument that seems not to hold sway for London (Heathrow) and many many Cities around the world.
I dread to think how Newmarket Road in Cambridge would cope with a few thousand new homes on the airport site.
There is already a planned development north of the airport between Newmarket Rd and the A14
https://marshallgroupproperties.co.uk/developments/wing/
Yes those 1300 homes and Marshalls also have an interest in the proposal for 1200 homes on land north of Cherry Hinton, currently in for outline planning.
Moving Marhsalls to Mildenhall has been mooted in the past- it would still need a good public transport link, as it is major employer, though one that has a relatively high (for Cambridge) drive-to-work rate.
Cambridge Airport AKA Marshalls Airport currently has, I believe, no scheduled flights.
It exists to support the economy of Cambridge, not just the Marshalls Aviation/Aerospace businesses, but also to facilitate many private flights moving Business Execs and Academics in and out from around the world. Moving the Airport to anywhere else simply wouldn't cut it.
 

eastdyke

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Mildenhall isn’t far away
I know exactly where RAF Mildenhall is (Beck Row), it is 25 miles by road. Around an hour to Christ's College on a good morning by road?
Cambridge Airport is less than 3 miles to the same place.
 

Meerkat

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But the difficult bit is those last three miles.....how long does it take to get from Mildenhall to Cambridge airport?
 

eastdyke

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But the difficult bit is those last three miles.....how long does it take to get from Mildenhall to Cambridge airport?
By re-locating to Mildenhall you would add around an hour to the return trip for everybody, regardless of the times of day. There are times of the day when Cambridge traffic is not totally gridlocked for a short final journey.
Anyway, if you've just flown in from Seattle/Geneva etc. a short walk might do you some good :)
Edited to correct poor syntax.
 
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Aureol Colin

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The transfer of Marshalls Aerospace operations to Mildenhall would seem to be a no brainer. It must surely be better to build housing close to where it is needed rather than 25 miles away.
For the users of the Cambridge to Ipswich service the need is to enable a half hourly service, which would help reduce the traffic on the A14. So the extension of the Dullingham loop to Newmarket and as close to Coldham Lane as possible is an essential.
 

Neen Sollars

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The transfer of Marshalls Aerospace operations to Mildenhall would seem to be a no brainer. It must surely be better to build housing close to where it is needed rather than 25 miles away.
For the users of the Cambridge to Ipswich service the need is to enable a half hourly service, which would help reduce the traffic on the A14. So the extension of the Dullingham loop to Newmarket and as close to Coldham Lane as possible is an essential.
Whether Cambridge airport grows into a commercial airport at its current site or relocates to Mildenhall, or Mildenhall develops according to the outline plan, ie 4000 houses (2.7 average occupancy so add 10,000 bods to the existing local population) and the development of a large aerotech business park and all other support services for a large new community, it should have a fast efficient rail link. If Mildenhall develops as per the current plan, the idea is to develop in stages, I think the idea/hope is that many of those employed in the aerotech park will live in Mildenhall. I can see a case for the Kennet north link to Mildenhall. Such a link would make the re-instatement of the SW/NW curve of the Chippenham/Newmarket triangle less likely, however chords are always good strategic things to have so it might happen especially if Newmarket to Cambs line has to close for re-building, a chord would mean anti-clockwise running Newmarket to Cambs. So should Cambs to Newmarket be re-doubled or would a new build high speed single track line do the job?
 

Tobbes

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I can see a case for the Kennet north link to Mildenhall.

The hills aren't insurmountable (this is Cambs/Suffolk, after all), but the old route was across much flatter country: http://en-gb.topographic-map.com/places/Kennett-2949642/

Such a link would make the re-instatement of the SW/NW curve of the Chippenham/Newmarket triangle less likely, however chords are always good strategic things to have so it might happen especially if Newmarket to Cambs line has to close for re-building, a chord would mean anti-clockwise running Newmarket to Cambs.

I'd agree in principle, but I'm sure that @Bald Rick would (rightly) tell us that the operational flexibility argument doesn't get you very far in terms of £m of additional (and arguably strictly unnecessary) investment.

So should Cambs to Newmarket be re-doubled or would a new build high speed single track line do the job?

Cambs/Newmarket redoubling will stand or fall on the service level for Cambs/Ipswich and Cambs/Soham/Ely and/or Cambs/Mildenhall. It seems logical to me that redoubling and electrification in the 2020s/30s is appropriate, along with line speed and frequency increases - Ipswich to Cambridge is 55m 8ch, so the current timings of 1h 21m - 1h 36m are an average speed of 34 - 41mph, which is ridiculous. Ipswich-Bury St E-Newmarket-Cambs should have a target time of 55 mins (70 mph average inclusive of stops would be 47); 50 mins @ 2tph would be very competitive with driving, whereas the current service simply isn't.

The other thing to note is that this is all predicated on total route modernisation of the Haughley Junction to Ely section, including modern signalling, removal of the single-lead junction at Haughley, and electrification.
 
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