gingerheid
Established Member
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- 2 Apr 2006
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The Cambridge & Peterborough Combined Authority had signed a contract for the building of a new station at Soham, on the little used (by passenger trains) line between Ely and Bury St Edmunds (and which doesn't currently allow a direct link to Cambridge).
https://www.elystandard.co.uk/news/new-station-for-soham-could-be-open-by-2022-says-mayor-1-6362561
In the ongoing absence of the Ely North improvements, with redoubling of the line under review, and with no concrete plans for upgrading Haughley Junction there's no sign of the franchise commitment for an hourly service on the line actually happening.
Further, with no curve allowing Newmarket to Soham services, with the line from Cambridge to Newmarket being mainly singled, with Cambridge station being congested, and with Network Rail believing that existing capacity on that line is sufficient until 2040, there's little sign of services to Cambridge that might truly unlock the potential of a new station.
It seems like it is headed for being a remarkably poorly served station that stands to be of limited use; I hope its existence creates pressure for the projects that will allow it to be useful and used to go ahead.
I was struggling to think of the last reopening in order to receive such a poor service. Even Beauly received a comparatively more useful service on reopening, and it only cost about 250k (in early 2000s prices) rather than £22m!
Moderator note: This thread is to discuss the wider issues of how the new station could be the catalyst for improvements to the service along the route; for updates regarding the actual station itself please see the following thread: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/soham-station-re-opening-progress-updates.195845/
https://www.elystandard.co.uk/news/new-station-for-soham-could-be-open-by-2022-says-mayor-1-6362561
The initial plan is for a single platform station with potential to expand to two platforms were another line to be added.
Mayor James Palmer said: "People have been crying out for this, they've campaigned long and hard to get their station back, and we can't wait to get diggers on site. This will transform life in Soham."
In the ongoing absence of the Ely North improvements, with redoubling of the line under review, and with no concrete plans for upgrading Haughley Junction there's no sign of the franchise commitment for an hourly service on the line actually happening.
Further, with no curve allowing Newmarket to Soham services, with the line from Cambridge to Newmarket being mainly singled, with Cambridge station being congested, and with Network Rail believing that existing capacity on that line is sufficient until 2040, there's little sign of services to Cambridge that might truly unlock the potential of a new station.
It seems like it is headed for being a remarkably poorly served station that stands to be of limited use; I hope its existence creates pressure for the projects that will allow it to be useful and used to go ahead.
I was struggling to think of the last reopening in order to receive such a poor service. Even Beauly received a comparatively more useful service on reopening, and it only cost about 250k (in early 2000s prices) rather than £22m!
Moderator note: This thread is to discuss the wider issues of how the new station could be the catalyst for improvements to the service along the route; for updates regarding the actual station itself please see the following thread: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/soham-station-re-opening-progress-updates.195845/
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