Soham railway station

Soham railway station was a station on the Ipswich to Ely line that served the town of Soham in Cambridgeshire.

Soham
LocationSoham, East Cambridgeshire
England
Coordinates52.33415°N 0.32770°E / 52.33415; 0.32770
Grid referenceTL587732
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyEly and Newmarket Railway
Pre-groupingGreat Eastern Railway
Post-groupingLondon and North Eastern Railway
Key dates
1 September 1879 (1879-09-01)Opened
13 September 1965 (1965-09-13)Closed

Following years of local campaigning, a new station on the old site will open in 2022, to be served by Greater Anglia services.[1][2][3]

History

The old station was opened on 1 September 1879.[4]

On 2 June 1944, the station was destroyed in the Soham rail disaster, when a munitions train carrying high explosive bombs caught fire and blew up, killing two and damaging over seven hundred buildings. The driver, Benjamin Gimbert, and fireman, James Nightall, were both awarded the George Cross for preventing further damage which would have occurred if the rest of the train had exploded. The signal box, also damaged in the explosion which resulted in the death of signalman Frank Bridges, is now preserved on the Mid-Norfolk Railway.

Although the line remained open, the station was closed to passengers on 13 September 1965.[4][5]

Reopening

Since closure a local campaign has run to reopen the station.[1][2] In February 2011 East Cambridgeshire District Council obtained funding for a study into a possible reopening.[6] In January 2013 Network Rail released a five-year upgrade plan, which included reopening Soham station as part of improvements to the Ipswich to Ely Line.[7]

A Network Rail study concluded that building a new station on the existing infrastructure was feasible and that the current line could support an additional stop at Soham. Although Soham was unsuccessful in a bid submitted to the New Stations Fund second round,[8] funding was obtained from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority and Cambridgeshire County Council to progress the next stage of design work with Network Rail.[9][10]

The new station will have a single 100 metre platform capable of accommodating a four car train. A new stepped footbridge will span across the railway to an existing right of way - as well as being future proofed for a potential second platform and lifts. The station would also have a drop off and pick up point, cycle parking and a 50 space car park.[11][12]

Construction of the new station by Network Rail[13][14] is scheduled to start later in 2020,[15] with completion due in Spring 2022.[3]

The station will be operated and managed by Greater Anglia with a two-hourly train service in each direction on the Ipswich to Peterborough route.[12] There are no current plans for direct services to Cambridge (which would require reinstatement of the Warren Hill Junction / Snailwell Junction chord), but Mayor James Palmer has expressed support for the idea in a future phase of the project.[15]

Route

There is a heavy service of freight trains on the route, principally between Felixstowe Docks and the Midlands/North of the country. A passenger train service operates on the line every two hours between Ipswich and Peterborough. The nearest stations currently open are Ely to the north and Kennett to the south.

Preceding station Future services Following station
Greater Anglia
Peterborough – Ipswich
  Historical railways  
Ely
Line and station open		   Great Eastern Railway
Ely and Newmarket Railway		   Fordham
Line open, station closed

References
  1. Soham Train Station Campaign Archived 7 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "New £47m rail link for Ipswich". EveningStar24. 19 November 2009. Retrieved 19 November 2009.
  3. "Green light for Soham station". Network Rail Media Centre. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  4. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 214. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
  5. Village history Soham Museum
  6. East Cambridgeshire District Council (8 February 2011). "Is the dream of a Soham Railway Station about to come true?".
  7. "Region to benefit from huge railways investment" East Anglian Daily Times, 8 January 2013
  8. "Nineteen bids for New Stations Fund second round". trundleage.co.uk. 22 August 2017.
  9. Elworthy, John (24 January 2019). "New rail station for Soham to be unveiled at public meetings in Soham - here's what it could look like". Ely Standard. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  10. "Reconnecting Soham". Network Rail. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  11. Comfort, Nick (March 2020). "Soham station gets go-ahead". Today's Railways. No. 219. Sheffield: Platform 5. p. 19. ISSN 1475-9713.
  12. "Soham station" (PDF). Network Rail. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  13. "Combined Authority seals deal for Network Rail to build Soham station". Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority. 6 November 2019.
  14. "Network Rail signs contract with combined authority to build £21m rail station for Soham". Ely Standard. Archant Community Media Ltd. 7 November 2019.
  15. "'Soham Station will be a platform for better local rail services'". Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority. 25 September 2019.
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