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Soham railway station

Coordinates: 52°20′03″N 0°19′40″E / 52.33415°N 0.32770°E / 52.33415; 0.32770
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Soham
National Rail
The platform at Soham railway station in December 2021
General information
LocationSoham, East Cambridgeshire
England
Coordinates52°20′03″N 0°19′40″E / 52.33415°N 0.32770°E / 52.33415; 0.32770
Grid referenceTL587732
Owned byNetwork Rail
Managed byGreater Anglia
Platforms1
Other information
Station codeSOJ
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
13 December 2021 (2021-12-13)Re-opened
Passengers
2021/22  14,196
2022/23Increase 55,518
2023/24Increase 65,912
Location
Map

Soham railway station is a station on the Ipswich–Ely line, serving the town of Soham in Cambridgeshire. The original station operated between 1879 and 1965. It was reopened in 2021.

History

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Soham station originally opened on 1 September 1879.[1]

The original station and buildings in 1912

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.

The station was closed to passengers on 13 September 1965,[1][2] but the line remained open both as a passenger route and for a heavy service of freight trains running principally between Felixstowe Docks and the Midlands.

Following many years of local campaigning, a new station was opened, on the same site, on 13 December 2021, with services operated by Greater Anglia.[3][4][5]

Reopening

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Overall view of the new station on 13 December 2021.

Since closure a local campaign had run to reopen the station.[3][4] 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 (CPCA) and Cambridgeshire County Council to progress the next stage of design work with Network Rail.[9]

Enabling works for the new station by Network Rail[10][11][12] started in autumn 2020, and main construction started in March 2021. The station was opened on 13 December 2021.[5]

There are no current plans for direct services to Cambridge, but the CPCA has expressed support for the idea in a future phase of the project. Mayor James Palmer said "the delivery of Soham station gives us a much stronger case to go to Government and Network Rail and lobby for the reinstating of the Snailwell loop which will provide a direct service between Ely, Soham, Newmarket and Cambridge".[12] Improvements to Ely North Junction as a result of monies from the cancelling of part of HS2 in October 2023 further improve this case.

Facilities

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The station has a single 100-metre (330 ft) platform capable of accommodating a four-car train. A stepped footbridge spans across the railway to an existing right of way – as well as being future proofed for a potential second platform and lifts. The station also has a drop off and pick up point, cycle parking and a 50 space car park.[13][14]

Services

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Soham station's location of the Ipswich to Ely line

The typical off-peak service frequency is one train every two hours in each direction between Peterborough and Ipswich via Bury St Edmunds.[15] All services are operated by Greater Anglia using Class 755 bi-mode trains.

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Greater Anglia
Limited service
  Historical railways  
Line and station open
Great Eastern Railway
Line open, station closed

References

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  1. ^ a b Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 214. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
  2. ^ Village history Archived 11 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine Soham Museum
  3. ^ a b Soham Train Station Campaign Archived 7 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ a b "New £47m rail link for Ipswich". EveningStar24. 19 November 2009. Retrieved 19 November 2009.
  5. ^ a b "Reconnecting Soham". Network Rail Media Centre.
  6. ^ East Cambridgeshire District Council (8 February 2011). "Is the dream of a Soham Railway Station about to come true?". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
  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. ^ "Combined Authority seals deal for Network Rail to build Soham station". Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority. 6 November 2019.
  11. ^ "Network Rail signs contract with combined authority to build £21m rail station for Soham". Ely Standard. Archant Community Media Ltd. 7 November 2019.
  12. ^ a b "Soham Station will be a platform for better local rail services". Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority. 25 September 2019.
  13. ^ Comfort, Nick (March 2020). "Soham station gets go-ahead". Today's Railways. No. 219. Sheffield: Platform 5. p. 19. ISSN 1475-9713.
  14. ^ "Soham station" (PDF). Network Rail. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 July 2019. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  15. ^ "Timetable 07: Ipswich to Cambridge and Peterborough" (PDF). Greater Anglia. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
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