Lightning has resulted in there being no trains at present between Newmarket and Cambridge. Greater Anglia are putting on rail replacement buses to Cambridge North (not on their rail route from Newmarket), but NOT to Cambridge's main station (which is where Ipswich services normally terminate). According to the GA website: "there is no rail replacement vehicle access permitted at Cambridge". As a bald statement, this is clearly nonsense - Cambridge hosts a seemingly never-ending series of rail replacement buses (including some that operate for GA). Can anyone translate the GA "explanation" into something meaningful? Thanks in advance.
-
Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!
Why are rail replacement buses currently unable to serve Cambridge station?
- Thread starter HughT
- Start date
- Status
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R
RailUK Forums
Dren Ahmeti
Member
Lightning strikes overnight in all areas, not just Anglia, took out a lot of track circuits (used to detect train movement) and other assorted signalling equipment.
NR are on the case, and S&T are stretched to infinity trying to fix all the issues!
NR are on the case, and S&T are stretched to infinity trying to fix all the issues!
That's all well and good but the OP is asking why the RBBs can't serve Cambridge Station.
Dren Ahmeti
Member
Oops, sorry!
That was me skim-reading, I do apologise.
twpsaesneg
Member
- Joined
- 21 Jul 2009
- Messages
- 418
Station Place in Cambridge is banned to all bar "Authorised Vehicles" - I suspect for late notice RRB's there's not time to get the required chit from Cambridge City Council.
Also, due to traffic in Cambridge generally, dropping off at Cambridge North is probably easier and quicker even with a change onto the train...
Also, due to traffic in Cambridge generally, dropping off at Cambridge North is probably easier and quicker even with a change onto the train...
Good point - I'd have assumed that the train operators had a persistent licence for RRBs, but perhaps not! I might enquire of the County Council as to whether it's their restriction. Certainly better to be dropped at C North in some situations, but I don't think the KGX fasts from CBG call at North (peak-hours excluded, phaps). Surely the aim of a RRB should be to provide you with the best equivalent journey, not a vaguely approximate one?
If there were a limited number of buses available, and serving North instead resulted in buses not getting caught up in traffic, perhaps serving North would - in this case - provide the best equivalent journey for the greatest number of passengers?
It's difficult to say without seeing the actual journey times and frequencies involved.
dk1
Veteran Member
Cambridge North is the standard rail interchange now during disruption/engineering as is far more convenient especially during peak times with the severe congestion in Cambridge itself. The car park & surrounds even though far busier than when the North first opened still offer spare space for interchange & offer frequent rail departures to Cambridge & beyond. It's another of the benefits of this ever more popular station.
Having spoken to someone who has done the rail replacement buses from Cambridge Main/Central at peak time, they found it took an hour to get out of Cambridge due to the traffic. With Cambridge North being near the A14 and my journey being to Cambridge North, I managed to arrive at work slightly earlier than had the train ran into Cambridge, thanks to the drop off at Cambridge North.
The journeys are hourly. I heard on twitter that there were 3 buses on the route this morning, so some people were having to wait at Newmarket on the busiest of the morning peak trains. (Luckily I was on the earlier train).
The information given out by the guard was a bit inconsistent suggesting that there were buses running direct to Cambridge (Main/Central) in addition to Dullingham and Cambridge North, when they were really running Newmarket - Dullingham - Cambridge North only.
The journeys are hourly. I heard on twitter that there were 3 buses on the route this morning, so some people were having to wait at Newmarket on the busiest of the morning peak trains. (Luckily I was on the earlier train).
The information given out by the guard was a bit inconsistent suggesting that there were buses running direct to Cambridge (Main/Central) in addition to Dullingham and Cambridge North, when they were really running Newmarket - Dullingham - Cambridge North only.
dk1
Veteran Member
I would say if the schools haven't broken up in Cambridgeshire that passengers where very lucky to have as many as 3 buses in circulation at such short notice.
dk1
Veteran Member
Nowhere near so many students either so that's a blessing too.
I think it is least worst with limited resources. The RRBs can be more productive well on their way back to Newmarket for the next load of passengers instead of sat in traffic in and out of the city centre. Depending on the service at the station being used as an interchange it may offer a quicker journey.
OK, I take the point about the merits of Cambridge North as a destination for RRBs from the north and east (although nothing like as convenient from where I live!). But those merits weren't what GA used to explain why they were depositing folk at North rather than at their intended destination. I've sent an enquiry to the County Council about the use by RRBs of Station Place (access to both ends of which is controlled by so-called "bus gates"). Will let you all know what they say in due course.
Steve Harris
Member
Correct Mill Road is closed to carry out work to put another line under the bridge and is the most direct route in a car.
I certainly wouldn't say it's the most convenient direct route for a bus as it's very tight to swing into either devonshire road or tenison road from mill road.
Certainly seem them try! None of the roads are formally width, height or weight restricted.
Another factor at play is that the station car park at Cambridge used to be closed to pernit it to be used for RRBs at weekends
Now that it costs £12.50 per day on Saturdays on Sundays (up from ~£4 Saturdays, ~£1.50 Sundays only a couple of years ago), and it's still full regardless, GA will be losing a hell of alot of revenue by closing it for RRB use.
Steve Harris
Member
Is there any physical gates ? Or is it just a cctv camera and the buses reg plate has to be on the council's database?
I suspect the later, as I think all the rising bollards (for controlling entry to the city centre etc) had been decommissioned.
I think both ends have ANPR with decomissioned bollards still in situ (definitely the case at the station* end)
*The ANPR camera positioned so if you drive straight up Station Rd to the front of the station as you used to do (as opposed to turning down Tenison Rd via the new Great Northern Rd), you'll get nabbed. Staggers me the frequency I still see cars ignoring the multitude of signs and driving straight up there regardless...
The issue is that every RRB provider would need a transponder fitter merely to access CB1. I'd also add that apart from the very end bus stop, all the others are well used. So they've not got much room there. Cambridge North won't be much of an option soon when work on the development takes place, closing part of the turning circle too. Well thought out....
Steve Harris
Member
Thanks for the info.
So in other words, there isn't anything physically stopping a RRB getting to Cambridge station, other than GA or the RRB company paying the fine or getting the Reg plate of the vehicles used added to the necessary database.
For major replacement buses (e.g. one of the London routes, or the route to Ely, closed), the issue would then probably be stand space - the regular bus stops are already pretty heavily served the normal local bus routes.
Steve Harris
Member
I wouldn't say its £££ from developers that comes first, more the bad planning and lack of forethought.
You just have to look at the excuse of a Ring Road ( compared to other cities ) and that has been there before the mass developments even started in Cambridge.
Steve Harris
Member
But we are not talking about that are we?
We are talking about 1 bus approximately every hour, are we or are we not.
Steve Harris
Member
Why would you need a transponder? Considering that the rising bollards have been decommissioned and been replaced with ANPR cameras.
The only place you may need a transponder is to operate the lights at the end of the bus lane on Newmarket Road. (This of course can be avoided by telling the driver and a quick look on google street view).
dk1
Veteran Member
I thought this was about people arriving on RR buses. Cambridge North has regular buses & is on cycle routes as you would imagine in this city.
Llanigraham
On Moderation
If the street is equipped with "bus gates" then I doubt if the RRB's would be equipped with the transponders to activate them.
There was engineering work on the Cambridge to Norwich line recently. Greater Anglia only ran the replacement buses to Cambridge North, and seemed to be relying on the argument that there were enough Cambridge North to London trains (both Great Northern and Greater Anglia) to cover the short section between Cambridge North and Cambridge for people who needed it.
Knowing Cambridge roads, I'd certainly prefer to do Cambridge to Cambridge North by train and then change onto a bus at Cambridge North, rather than travel on a bus all the way into/out of the main station. I actually wish Great Northern would run trains to Cambridge North rather than Cambridge when the late night trains to Ely/King's Lynn are cancelled for engineering work!
Knowing Cambridge roads, I'd certainly prefer to do Cambridge to Cambridge North by train and then change onto a bus at Cambridge North, rather than travel on a bus all the way into/out of the main station. I actually wish Great Northern would run trains to Cambridge North rather than Cambridge when the late night trains to Ely/King's Lynn are cancelled for engineering work!
- Status