The Anonymous Widower

Cambridge Gets Its Own Mini-Crossrail

This morning I went to see the very newly-opened Cambridge North station.

The station is probably best described as a Parkway station close to the Cambridge Science Park and the A14 on the Northern Side of Cambridge.

The station is not short of facilities and service pattern.

• Two through platforms and one bay platform, all capable of taking a 12-car Class 700 train.
• Two avoiding lines for freight trains.
• Full step-free access.
• 450 car park spaces.
• Parking under cover for a thousand bikes.
• Access to the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway.
• Close to the A14.
• Customer toilets.
• A proper ticket office and several ticket machines.
• A square outside to meet people if it’s sunny.
• Retail units and some greenery will be added later.
• Currently, it is planned for about four trains per hour to stop at Cambridge North station in each direction.

According to this article on the BBC, the station cost £44million.

It is all pretty impressive and practical.

Are Cambridge, Cambridge North, Waterbeach and Ely stations the first four stations of a Cambridge Mini-Crossrail or Metro?

Consider.

• Cambridge South station could be built close to Addenbrooke’s Hospital.
• Lines fan out from Ely to Bury St. Edmunds and Ipswich, King’s Lynn, Norwich and Peterborough.
• Lines will fan out to the South of Addenbrooke’s to Bedford, Hitchin and Kings Cross, Stansted and Liverpool Street.
• Cambridge station has more platforms than many terminal stations.
• Cambridge North station has space for extra platforms.
• A lot more trains could stop in the stations.

It will be interesting to see how the system develops in the future.

May 21, 2017 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Architecture, Cambridge North Station, Cambridge South Station, Cambridge Station, New Stations