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The building of a new station in Cambridge reaches a milestone.
www.bbc.co.uk
A £40m project to upgrade the railway infrastructure around a city's new station has been completed.
The South Rail Systems Alliance (SRSA) needed to upgrade sections of the West Anglia main line, as part of the building project for Cambridge South station.
SRSA won the contract for the works in September 2023, which included remodelling a branch junction at Shepreth.
Keith Sullivan, a programme manager for Network Rail, said it was a "major milestone" towards completing the station, which is expected to open early next year.
The busway might work to Cambridge main station, if they can persuade Stagecoach to provide a lot more services on the busway to cover planned engineering works, assuming they actually have enough of the specially-modified vehicles, but for very short notice disruption cover, it could be trickier.
The main difficulty for using the busway for rail replacement is vehicle availability. Neither Stagecoach or Whippet have many spare guided vehicles. It is also important to remember that the southern end of the busway can't use double deckers because of low bridges.
I suspect that Cambridge South to Cambridge North rail replacements would also be better off going "direct", the long way around using the M11 and A14 to avoid having to fight their way through the centre of Cambridge, which could easily take twice as long, I'd guess. At least.
Isn't it likely that existing arrangements for rail replacement will remain.
Express services between Cambridge North and Royston and then separate buses calling at all stations which would include Cambridge South. Shuttle trains between Cambridge North and Cambridge.
Isn't it likely that existing arrangements for rail replacement will remain.
Express services between Cambridge North and Royston and then separate buses calling at all stations which would include Cambridge South. Shuttle trains between Cambridge North and Cambridge.
It'll likely just come down to whether or not it's more economic and the logistics. It also depends where the line closure is, obviously.
It's just over half as far and twice as fast according to Google Maps (both quickest routes are via M11, A14).
If the closure is only around Cambridge main station itself, another advantage of running the rail replacements from Cambridge South would be that you cover both the Liverpool Street route and the King's Cross route from one location, rather than needing to run buses to/from both Royston and Audley End. Assuming you have the road capacity in and out of Cambridge South.
Data (according to Google Maps, via car, late Sunday evening unless otherwise stated): Royston to Cambridge North is around 21 miles (28 minutes); Cambridge South to Cambridge North is around 11 miles (15 minutes) via M11/A14, or through town is 7 miles (19 minutes now; but at midday on Saturday, it claims 20-50 minutes - which I'd agree with as being realistic)
If the closure is only around Cambridge main station itself, another advantage of running the rail replacements from Cambridge South would be that you cover both the Liverpool Street route and the King's Cross route from one location, rather than needing to run buses to/from both Royston and Audley End. Assuming you have the road capacity in and out of Cambridge South.
I think the other big thing is that you'll need far fewer buses if you get to Cambridge south as a lot of the people who would have caught the train from Cambridge/Cambridge North will just start their journey at South and never bother with the rail replacement bus given it's an easy cycle, and most of the buses that serve the main station will also serve Addenbrokes which is walkable from south.
Thanks for the picture. It shows the station forecourt on the Biomedical Campus side. This is probably the most difficult bit of the site to see, it is well hidden by fences.
On the Hobsons Park side the contractors have finished using a lot of the land, and it has been relandscaped (is that a word?), though still behind high metal fences. Presumably that's to keep people off it while the grass grows.
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This will probably fall victim to the dreaded automerge, but here is an update on biodiversity.
Arable land near the new station is being used to expand a nature reserve, says Network Rail.
www.bbc.co.uk
More than 18,000 trees, plants and shrubs will be planted at a nature reserve beside a city's latest railway station.
Cambridge South station, at Francis Crick Avenue at the city's Biomedical Campus, is due to open in early 2026.
As part of the project's target to meet 10% net gain in biodiversity, 22,000m (237,000ft) of arable land was purchased to expand nearby Hobson's Park reserve.
Another line closure today. Looked like they were reinstating Websters level crossing on the new Shepreth Branch layout. Thought that was permanently closed?
Another line closure today. Looked like they were reinstating Websters level crossing on the new Shepreth Branch layout. Thought that was permanently closed?
Another line closure today. Looked like they were reinstating Websters level crossing on the new Shepreth Branch layout. Thought that was permanently closed?
Another line closure today. Looked like they were reinstating Websters level crossing on the new Shepreth Branch layout. Thought that was permanently closed?
It's coming back as a maintenance access point only, for vehicles and RRVs etc to get to the various bits of equipment on the West side of the railway just North of that access. There's no alternative road access to the area in the final configuration so a RRAP is needed instead to allow access from the East side.
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In the Up direction, trains are indeed permitted to do 50mph today. however, the signal controlling the junction is the same (in the interlocking) as the previous one, and retains its approach release because the interlocking has been designed for 30mph and has not been modified.
In the Down direction, the new S&C is actually fit for 50mph too, but it's still signed at 30mph because the signal sighting and risk assessment for the new layout showed that, until the new signalling and layout comes in, the risks were not acceptably low to implement for 50mph.
Also, the track on the approach has not yet been fully accepted for use at the new speed - there's still a few last works to do to get that ready.
When the final signalling comissioning is implemented, the new signals, signs, and speed layout will be brought into use, with the junction operating at 50mph fully in both directions.
The approach release will be gone and replaced with flashing yellows in the Up direction, and the whole curve and S&C will be running at 50mph in the Down direction.
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Does anyone know what this little wooden structure is for? It's in the field adjacent to the footbridge at Shepreth Branch Junction, on the east side. I'm fairly sure the people installing it were working from Network Rail and Murphy vans, but I can't see any connection or relevance to the railway (or indeed to anything else). Apologies if this is a complete red herring.
When the final signalling comissioning is implemented, the new signals, signs, and speed layout will be brought into use, with the junction operating at 50mph fully in both directions.
The approach release will be gone and replaced with flashing yellows in the Up direction, and the whole curve and S&C will be running at 50mph in the Down direction.
It's coming back as a maintenance access point only, for vehicles and RRVs etc to get to the various bits of equipment on the West side of the railway just North of that access. There's no alternative road access to the area in the final configuration so a RRAP is needed instead to allow access from the East side.
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In the Up direction, trains are indeed permitted to do 50mph today. however, the signal controlling the junction is the same (in the interlocking) as the previous one, and retains its approach release because the interlocking has been designed for 30mph and has not been modified.
In the Down direction, the new S&C is actually fit for 50mph too, but it's still signed at 30mph because the signal sighting and risk assessment for the new layout showed that, until the new signalling and layout comes in, the risks were not acceptably low to implement for 50mph.
Also, the track on the approach has not yet been fully accepted for use at the new speed - there's still a few last works to do to get that ready.
When the final signalling comissioning is implemented, the new signals, signs, and speed layout will be brought into use, with the junction operating at 50mph fully in both directions.
The approach release will be gone and replaced with flashing yellows in the Up direction, and the whole curve and S&C will be running at 50mph in the Down direction.
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I can confirm that this is nothing to do with the Cambridge South project. No idea who is is though.
Thanks for the update - a couple of months I’ve definitely been on trains heading towards Foxton that have done 50mph on the up line but not in the down direction towards Cambridge. Will both directions ultimately be 50mph.
Hear hear. Going back to the first point in post 1333 - does this mean we're close to the date where the haul road on the western side of the tracks will be taken up and the land returned to agricultural use?
And as regards the mysterious structure in the field: I recently came across a man on the DNA path near Shepreth Branch Junction with a theodolite-type instrument. When I asked what this was about, he replied "Survey work for East-West Rail". So I suspect the wooden triangle in the field is somehow related.
In the Up direction, trains are indeed permitted to do 50mph today. however, the signal controlling the junction is the same (in the interlocking) as the previous one, and retains its approach release because the interlocking has been designed for 30mph and has not been modified.
Trying to figure out how this works. Does that mean an approaching up train taking the turn to Royston will still see a red long enough to force it down to 30, even though the limit is higher? But trains definitely do (I think) go through faster now. Maybe they have to slow to 30 before the junction but can speed up to 50 as they go through?
Trying to figure out how this works. Does that mean an approaching up train taking the turn to Royston will still see a red long enough to force it down to 30, even though the limit is higher? But trains definitely do (I think) go through faster now. Maybe they have to slow to 30 before the junction but can speed up to 50 as they go through?
The signalling behaves as it did before, so trains will brake for the red (or yellow, sorry not familiar with the specifics of this signaling) signal, but when it clears they can then accelerate back up to 50mph.
In the Up direction, trains are indeed permitted to do 50mph today. however, the signal controlling the junction is the same (in the interlocking) as the previous one, and retains its approach release because the interlocking has been designed for 30mph and has not been modified.
In the Down direction, the new S&C is actually fit for 50mph too, but it's still signed at 30mph because the signal sighting and risk assessment for the new layout showed that, until the new signalling and layout comes in, the risks were not acceptably low to implement for 50mph.
Also, the track on the approach has not yet been fully accepted for use at the new speed - there's still a few last works to do to get that ready.
When the final signalling comissioning is implemented, the new signals, signs, and speed layout will be brought into use, with the junction operating at 50mph fully in both directions.
The approach release will be gone and replaced with flashing yellows in the Up direction, and the whole curve and S&C will be running at 50mph in the Down direction.
The signalling behaves as it did before, so trains will brake for the red (or yellow, sorry not familiar with the specifics of this signaling) signal, but when it clears they can then accelerate back up to 50mph.
The signals behave as they did before, but, since Christmas/New Year, they are in different places.
On the up road CA140 is the junction signal: it used to be very close to the old junction, now it is much further north, only a bit south of the bridge over the Nine Wells stream. Similarly CA142 is also further north, it was just south of the Addenbrookes bridge, now it is at the south end of the new station. This means that the approach release happens much further north too, and trains can cross the junction at 50mph.
On the down road CA123 is the last signal before the junction. This used to have a banner repeater before Shelford Road bridge and the signal on the curve (which was 40mph) just before the junction. Now the banner repeater is on the curve, with a reduction in sighting distance, and the signal is near the site of the old Dukes No2 crossing, just before the new junction. This means that CA141 and CA143 have had to move further north too; CA143 used to be off the south end of the new station platforms, now it is at the north end. The result is the whole CA123-CA141-CA143 sequence being squeezed up, but with CA123 still clearing in the same way that it did before it was moved.
Does anyone know what this little wooden structure is for? It's in the field adjacent to the footbridge at Shepreth Branch Junction, on the east side. I'm fairly sure the people installing it were working from Network Rail and Murphy vans, but I can't see any connection or relevance to the railway (or indeed to anything else). Apologies if this is a complete red herring.
Here are a few photos from today. Most of the visible work is now landscaping and the forecourts. Lamp posts and cameras have been installed and some of the trees have been planted. The storage compound in the park is now gone and the area sown with what I guess is grass. The two access paths across the park are now in place, although the main cycle path is awaiting the final surfacing. There is also a picnic table with lots of large tin cans on it and a Murphy sign - not sure what that’s about!
No photos but over on the main forecourt the paving sets are going in for the parking bays.
I have now left the Cambridge South project, so cannot comment on what the weird bench is. I'd like to know myself!
Sorry everyone - I'm back but I'll be able to say a lot less of what stuff is given I have left. I'll try to fill in what I can though. Apologies for my absence.
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That's still not something that can officially be confirmed. It's planned for this coming Christmas but there are still a few final go/no-go items that need to be completed before it's 100%. It's a very high percentage probability though.
I have now left the Cambridge South project, so cannot comment on what the weird bench is. I'd like to know myself!
Sorry everyone - I'm back but I'll be able to say a lot less of what stuff is given I have left. I'll try to fill in what I can though. Apologies for my absence.
I have now left the Cambridge South project, so cannot comment on what the weird bench is. I'd like to know myself!
Sorry everyone - I'm back but I'll be able to say a lot less of what stuff is given I have left. I'll try to fill in what I can though. Apologies for my absence.
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That's still not something that can officially be confirmed. It's planned for this coming Christmas but there are still a few final go/no-go items that need to be completed before it's 100%. It's a very high percentage probability though.
Ever since our conversation through the fence, when you were taking an initial walk around what was then your new domain of Cambridge South (and how long ago was that?), I've appreciated your input on this forum and occasionally on the local Facebook page. I add my good wishes to those from RuddA above.
I have now left the Cambridge South project, so cannot comment on what the weird bench is. I'd like to know myself!
Sorry everyone - I'm back but I'll be able to say a lot less of what stuff is given I have left. I'll try to fill in what I can though. Apologies for my absence.
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That's still not something that can officially be confirmed. It's planned for this coming Christmas but there are still a few final go/no-go items that need to be completed before it's 100%. It's a very high percentage probability though.
Thank you so much on your updates on this project - always hugely appreciated. Having just moved to the area permanently, I can now view progress for myself!
Here are some photos from today. It is getting much harder to see changes. It looks like bike parking has been going in as well as rear fences for the platforms.
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I think the point here is that it was promised, or half-promised, or mooted, that as part of the compensation for the loss of parkland to build Cambridge South, the station would provide an amenity for the park (Hobson's Park) in the form of a cafe and toilets, which the park currently lacks. I don't know what exactly was said by whom or to whom, but certainly that understanding was around in the local area.
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www.bbc.co.uk
