Cambridge North: Cambridge's new station

[DerekC]

Cambridge South? Why not call it Trumpington? That I believe is about where it will be.

Anything with Trump in it makes me nervous just now.

 

[Alfie1014]

BBC local news last night were reporting that it will not open until May 2017, which seems a bit far off considering the current state of construction?

 

[jopsuk]

Construction on the railway side is well advanced, but non-railway hasn't started as there's been big hold ups whilst Network Rail and the local councils worked through the fine details of access arrangements. Although it shouldn't be, much of the negotiations have been muddled up with the negotiations over land use for the Abbey-Chesterton Bridge and the Chisholm Trail.

 

[317 forever]

BBC local news last night were reporting that it will not open until May 2017, which seems a bit far off considering the current state of construction?

I had read this a few days ago.

I am also wondering when the refurbishment of Cambridge station itself will be complete, if it is not already completed.

 

[CockneySparrow]

I prefer the station to be called Chesterton as it is located in the Chesterton area of Cambridge.

The location is about 2 miles north of the present station on the site of the former Chesterton Sidings of which a few tracks are still in use.!
It is also at the site of the junction of the long closed St. Ives branch. The guided bus service which now uses most of the former St. Ives line is being extended along another part of the old trackbed to serve the new station.
The station will serve the northern suburbs of the city and presume served by Kings Cross-Ely-Kings Lynn plus Cambridge- Norwich and Cambridge-Peterborough and west services?

Sound feasible I guess but Cambridge Science Park it should be based on the fact its easy to search for those visiting the Science Park for the first time, someone not local will not know about Chesterton
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

BBC local news last night were reporting that it will not open until May 2017, which seems a bit far off considering the current state of construction?

Guess its about the timetables, probably too soon for Dec 2016 so May 2017 it is

 

[edwin_m]

Anything with Trump in it makes me nervous just now.

Even Pugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble and Grubb?

 

[jopsuk]

As far as progress goes:

cycling along the busway extension east of Milton Road the platform lift shafts are no clearly visible (I'd imagine there's rather more to see from trains passing through). Photography is hard; the station building site is not close to currently accessible roads

 

[AE]

Photography is hard; the station building site is not close to currently accessible roads

You get a half decent view from the Fen Road level crossing. It's a bit in the distance but clearly visible.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Anything with Trump in it makes me nervous just now.

The Baroness Trumpington would take you to task for making such a comment...:roll:

 

[MikePJ]

As far as progress goes:

(I'd imagine there's rather more to see from trains passing through).

I went through there on a train last week. There are platforms and trackwork in place - the platforms have safety fences along the edge facing the track to protect the workforce from passing trains. Some OLE structures are in place but it isn't all wired yet, if I remember correctly. The lift shaft core for the station building is being cast. I note that there's a possession between Cambridge and Ely coming up on Sunday 8th, so that may be related.

 

[Class 170101]

Indeed there is a possession between Ely and Cambridge on Sunday 8th.

Also between Ely and Peterborough / Brandon / Downham Market.

 

[jopsuk]

There's a Cambridge-Kings Lynn closure on the 22nd as well. Guess at least one of those days will be craning the station bridge into place.

 

[MikePJ]

Some recent pictures of the site, as a consequence of a visit from Patrick McLoughlin

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Tra...erves-world/story-29266004-detail/story.html#
https://twitter.com/transportgovuk/status/730757485846511621

 

[jopsuk]

some new pictures
https://twitter.com/BobBusway/status/751147652792852484
https://twitter.com/BobBusway/status/751148195636535296
https://twitter.com/BobBusway/status/751149307189919748
(Bob is "Service Director Strategy and Development at Cambridgeshire County ")

 

[jopsuk]

A few photos, taken from variously:
Moss Bank, which will be the southern pedestrian and cycle access, ideally positioned for the future new bridge
Fen Road Level Crossing (the dark grey jagged building is the solar-roofed cycle park)
Busway extension, for western access
Cowley Road- the motor vehicle access.

 

[ocelocelot]

A few photos, taken from variously:
Moss Bank, which will be the southern pedestrian and cycle access, ideally positioned for the future new bridge
Fen Road Level Crossing (the dark grey jagged building is the solar-roofed cycle park)
Busway extension, for western access
Cowley Road- the motor vehicle access.

Thanks for the photos! They've evidently made progress on the busway extension since I last checked. Eagerly awaiting 21 May!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Does May 2017 still remain as the opening month?

 

[jopsuk]

Yes, the "Class 387 to GN" thread there's been some discussion of the Cambridge North timetable as the times are now appearing, for May, in the various public systems.

 

[bspahh]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prOizo12Zxw is a 58 minute video of a council meeting on Cambridge North Station - from March 2nd 2017

 

[Firesprite]

Cross-Country is not going to stop at Cambridge North, instead just race through while every other service will stop. So much for me being to get to work early, I would have to change at Ely. A fact I confilmed with Cross-Country via email, Their reply was 'That under the specifications of its franchise agreement with the Department for Transport its trains were not required to stop at the Cambridge North station.' But then I would not expext any else from a German owned company.

 

[TheDavibob]

They shouldn't stop at Cambridge North. This is coming from someone who's closest station will be Cambridge North and who, reasonably frequently, uses the Cross Country northbound.

The XCountry service should be a fast service. Frankly, as I've said before, it shouldn't really be stopping at Melton Mowbray, Stamford, Oakham or March, but given the other services that run the route I see why it does. Given the near-future Cambridge North timetable includes four services hourly into Cambridge without even including GA services, the service is pretty good.

I agree it isn't ideal, particularly Northbound, but that isn't really XCountry's fault. Also, I highly doubt their German ownership has anything to do with it.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

... while every other service will stop.
...
But then I would not expext any else from a German owned company.

Except for the Kings Lynn services every hour of course.

I agree TheDavibob that it is probably for the best. XC can be wedged at the best of times with inter-regional passengers before the added strain of punters just making short hops between local towns (it's the same for most of the rest of their network). I will grant you that it's not great that northbound there's no reasonable connection at Ely for it, but sadly that's the constraints of railway timetabling! As TheDavidbob again said, I too doubt the nationality of their owners is anything to do with it.

Maybe with time things will change too - neither EMT or TPE served Liverpool South Parkway in its early years...

 

[edwin_m]

Stopping XC at Cambridge North would provide a useful link to Stansted as well as Peterborough and beyond. I would have thought it was a reasonable thing to expect in the next franchise but stopping the service now would probably cause it to miss paths south of Cambridge.

 

[TheDavibob]

Stopping XC at Cambridge North would provide a useful link to Stansted as well as Peterborough and beyond. I would have thought it was a reasonable thing to expect in the next franchise but stopping the service now would probably cause it to miss paths south of Cambridge.

Pretty sure GA intend on running their Norwich-Cambridge service to Stansted, stopping at Cambridge North.

 

[dk1]

Pretty sure GA intend on running their Norwich-Cambridge service to Stansted, stopping at Cambridge North.

Not till new trains arrive in 2019/20.

 

[MikePJ]

I went down to take a look at the site this afternoon. There's still plenty of civils left to be done on the approaches - the section of busway road that will lead to the station itself is still unsurfaced inside the station site. But the station buildings themselves (as far as they can be seen) look very smart.

Stopping patterns: the GN local train (the Foxton/Shepreth/Meldreth one) will start from Cambridge North in May, which will suit a number of my colleagues - I work in Meldreth. However, the timetable consultation for the start of the Thameslink services suggests that it'll go back to terminating at Cambridge mains station in a couple of years time. It'll be interesting to see how the services get swapped around - there'll be a lot of changes over the next couple of years.

 

[MikeWM]

Cross-Country is not going to stop at Cambridge North, instead just race through while every other service will stop.

I wish this were true, but the situation for commuters from the north is significantly worse even than that under the current proposed timetable - as well as no XC stops, no GN train from the north is going to call between 0727 and 1019 (!).

Apparently this is related to the short platforms at Waterbeach and so anything calling there is already a very busy 4-car that can't be extended, so they don't want to make these trains even busier than they already are.

As a commuter from Ely working on Cambridge Science Park I was looking forward to the new station, but the timetable currently set for May is really quite pathetic for those commuting from the north

If we say the peak time is 0800-0930 - in that time, I make it that there are two services from the north that will stop at Cambridge North

0814 GA from Ely to Liverpool St
0850 GA from Norwich to Cambridge

and six (!) services - 4 GN and 2 XC - which will pass through without stopping.

It is very hard to see how this satisfies what was apparently one of the main aims for the station - to help commuting from the north into Cambridge, especially the area around the Science Park. I appreciate this will improve later, if Waterbeach is ever extended and if Ely North is ever remodelled, but it is a very disappointing start.

 

[Firesprite]

I wish this were true, but the situation for commuters from the north is significantly worse even than that under the current proposed timetable - as well as no XC stops, no GN train from the north is going to call between 0727 and 1019 (!).

As a commuter from Ely working on Cambridge Science Park I was looking forward to the new station, but the timetable currently set for May is really quite pathetic for those commuting from the north

If we say the peak time is 0800-0930 - in that time, I make it that there are two services from the north that will stop at Cambridge North

0814 GA from Ely to Liverpool St
0850 GA from Norwich to Cambridge

and six (!) services - 4 GN and 2 XC - which will pass through without stopping.

It is very hard to see how this satisfies what was apparently one of the main aims for the station - to help commuting from the north into Cambridge, especially the area around the Science Park. I appreciate this will improve later, if Waterbeach is ever extended and if Ely North is ever remodelled, but it is a very disappointing start.

I also comute to the Cambridge Science Park from March, Train is already standing room only when it arrives in March. When you get to Ely and you need to change trains, you have to fight your way off in the morning againist people pushing their way on as they don't wait to let you off first. Many people that I also travel with, are also heading to the Science Park. And like me were looking forward to saving money on Plusbus fares with the Park only being ten minutes walk away.

 

[jopsuk]

There will be a (small) number of GA trains calling at Ely and Cambridge North in that time.

At my last job I had a colleague who commuted Waterbeach-Whittlesford, there were often mornings where he was late because he could not board the train at Waterbeach. Sadly until those platform extensions are done GN are right not to stop at both, especially in peak time. Using SDO on 387s wouldn't really be feasible in this situation.

Of course the Waterbeach Barracks plan needs a whole new station in order to be able to build 12-car platforms.

 

[PR1Berske]

Does May 2017 still remain as the opening month?

You may already know: the three letter code for Cambridge North is CMB Source:. http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations_destinations/CMB.aspx