Beefing Up The Wires
The overhead lines on the East Coast Main have a reputation for not being of the most robust design.
So it was pleasing to see that they have been upgraded at Peterborough.
Old And New Overhead Wires
The new overhead lines at Eccles are to a similar robust design.
So are we going to see less disruption from wind, trains or vandals pulling the wires down?
A Well-Mapped City Centre
Peterborough city centre is well provided with maps.
Some are typical of other cities, but in all my travels, I’ve never seen a map of virtually a whole city centre laid out on the floor, as the big map was in the Queensgate shopping centre.
One of the sections of the big map, shows the area, where my paternal grandmother was born in Whitsed Street.
Green Bicycle Racks
These bicycle racks were outside the cathedral.
What an unusual and good way to solve the problem of bike security in a sensitive area!
The Travel Choice advertised on the stands is for Peterborough’s transport system.
Peterborough Cathedral
Peterborough is one of my favourite cathedrals, but it is generally underrated by tourists and often is quite empty.
Now that the square in front of the cathedral has been restored and upgraded, it must become a place more likely to be visited.
I particularly liked their little exhibition, which described the construction and history of the cathedral. They were particularly honest about relics and their collection.
Cathedral Square, Peterborough
When I was last in Peterborough, the Cathedral Square was a large building site.
It’s all finished now and is possibly one of the best central squares in East Anglia.
The Rebuilt Peterborough Station
They’ve spent £43million on Peterborough station and the station now has a new track layout, some new platforms, lifts and a smart new entrance.
As the pictures show, there still a fair bit of finishing off to do.
It is very much a functional rebuild, rather than the more grandiose one at Reading.
To Peterborough In An Inter City 125
My paternal grandmother was born in Peterborough and as it was a wet day, I thought that it might be a good place to go to the city for lunch and to take a look at the rebuilt station.
So I boarded one of East Coast’s Inter City 125s at Kings Cross.
The train certainly doesn’t betray its age, even if it’s probably been refurbished a few times since it was built in the late 1970s.
But then after travelling by train in many of the countries of Europe recently, I would rate it, one of the most comfortable Second Class rides in Europe. If not the most comfortable!
When they write the definitive history of the first three hundred years of trains in the United Kingdom, these trains will be the only class running today, that will get their own chapter. But then the author of the book, will be able to sample a ride in one of these trains, as they will defy the odds and outlive everything else.
The Anonymous Widower 