Cambridge Station To Get Another Platform Lengthening
Of all the stations I use regularly, Cambridge seems to have more expansion programs than any other station I know.
When I first used it regularly it had the following platforms.
- One long through platform split into two numbered 1 and 4 to handle most traffic.
- Two bay platforms pointing North for services to Ipswich and Norwich.
- Two bay platforms pointing South to London.
These have since been joined by a pair of through platforms to the East of the main lines through the station.
Wikipedia says this about Platforms 1 and 4.
- Platform 1 is a 12-car bi-directional through platform generally used for southbound services to London King’s Cross and northbound services to King’s Lynn. It is also used for some early morning northbound services to Ely and for some late evening terminating services.
- Platform 4 is a bi-directional 10-car through platform generally used for northbound services to Ely, King’s Lynn and Birmingham New Street. It is also used for some early morning southbound services to London King’s Cross and London Liverpool Street and for some terminating late evening services.
I was told today, that Platform 4 is going to be lengthened by forty metres at its Northern end.
- This will make Platforms 1 and 4 the same length.
- It will probably allow twelve-car trains to be run from London to both Cambridge North and Kings Lynn stations.
As both Greater Anglia and Great Northern already have twelve-car trains, adding forty metres of new platform is probably an affordable way to increase capacity between Cambridge and London.
A West Anglia High Speed Service
I like the concept of a high speed service Between King’s Cross and Cambridge.
Cambridge is sucking in the best scientific, engineering and financial talent in the UK and a high speed service to and from London would be ideal for reverse commuters.
Trains would be as I described in Will Hitachi Announce A High Speed Metro Train?.
- The trains would run non-stop between King’s Cross and Cambridge.
- The trains would run every thirty minutes.
- Between London and Hitchen, the trains would run at up to 140 mph under digital signalling on the East Coast Main Line.
- Between Hitchin and Cambridge, the trains would run at up to 100 mph on the Cambridge Line.
- When Cambridge South station opens, the trains would stop at the station.
- I would run a pair of trains to Cambridge station, where they would split with one train going to King’s Lynn and the other to Norwich.
- Trains could split in the lengthened Platform 4 in Cambridge station.
- Returning to London, they would join in Platform 1 at Cambridge station.
- The King’s Lynn portion would stop at all stations to King’s Lynn.
- The Norwich portion would stop at Cambridge North and then all stations to Norwich.
- The 54 miles between Ely and Norwich would be on battery power.
- All stations to the North of Ely would get a service every thirty minutes.
I can see other services like this starting all over the country.
- London Euston and Milton Keynes, Rugby and Coventry.
- London Kings Cross and Leeds
- London Kings Cross and Lincoln, Grimsby and Cleethorpes
- London Paddington and Bristol
- London Paddington and Cardiff
- London Paddington and Oxford
- London St. Pancras and Leicester, Derby and Nottingham.
- London Waterloo and Portsmouth, Southampton and Bournemouth.
Note.
- The enabling factor would be trains running at 140 mph under full digital control.
- Existing 140 mph trains like Class 390 and Class 395 trains could also be used.
The services would generally handle shorter distances than High Speed Two and fill in the gaps left by that network.
Rye House Power Station
Rye House power station is gas-fired and I took these pictures as I passed today.
The 715 MW power station is nearly thirty years old and it will be interesting how it is replaced.
Tidying Up At Cheshunt Station – 4th August 2021
As I approached Cheshunt station, it looked like there had been some tidying up on the Western side of the line.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera handy, so I was unable to take any pictures.
But I did take these pictures later from the station.
It does seem that Network Rail are tidying up the inside of the bend.
The Internet offers no clue, as to what is happening, but it could be anything from improving the car park entrance, to installing a second bay platform at the station, so that more trains can be run to and from Liverpool Street.
But there is a clue here in West Anglia Route Improvement – Cheshunt Station – 26th February 2017, which from the date is four years old.
The Google Map in this post, shows the Southern end of Platform 2 to be a different shape, to the pictures I took today.
It looks like the platforms have been lengthened.
- Originally, they could handle an eight-car Class 317 train, which are 160 metres long.
- It looks like now, they can handle a pair of five-car Class 720 trains, which are 244 metres long.
This will allow pairs of five-car Class 720 trains to work Cambridge services.
Pairs of four-car Class 710 trains are only 166 metres long, so they don’t need any platform lengthening.
The Sunset Studios Effect
If I was right in The Location Of Sunset Studios In Broxbourne, that a station will be built on the London Overground between Turkey Street and Theobalds Grove to serve the studio complex, then this may require modifications at Cheshunt, if traffic increases substantially.
- Cheshunt station will need to be step-free.
- Cheshunt station will need better passenger facilities, like more ticket machines.
- Cheshunt station may need more car parking.
- The bay platform at Cheshunt station will need to be handle upwards of four trains per hour (tph), all of which will be pairs of four-car trains.
A large housing development is planned for just to the North of Cheshunt station and hopefully, the developer will sort a lot of these issues.
The Location Of Sunset Studios In Broxbourne
This article on HertsLIve discloses the location of the new Sunset Studios in Broxbourne.
This is said.
Land to the west of Waltham Cross has been bought and is allocated in Broxbourne Borough’s Local Plan 2018 – 2033.
It’s just off J25 on the M25 and is thought to be land on either side of the A10 Great Cambridge Road.
James Seppala, Head of Blackstone Real Estate Europe, said: “The site is on the north-west corner of the M25-A10 junction. It’s ideal given its accessibility across Hertfordshire, into Central London, to London’s airports due to its proximity to the M25, and it has the scale for the scheme we’re planning to develop.
“Highways England are expanding the motorway junction currently which is helpful as well.
This Google Map shows the location.
Note.
- The M25 runs across the bottom of the map.
- The A10 runs North-South between the two roundabouts.
- Newsprinters Broxbourne sits on a forty-acre site and is the largest newspaper printing site in the world.
I would expect that the brown agricultural site is where Sunset Studios will be located.
I have one big question.
Is It The Right Place For The Studios?
I know nothing about making films, but from what has been said, this development will produce up to 4,500 jobs.
How are all these people going to get in to work every day?
The site may have a good road network, but it doesn’t have a nearby rail connection.
But in my quote from Herts Live, this is said.
It’s just off J25 on the M25 and is thought to be land on either side of the A10 Great Cambridge Road.
Does that mean it includes the Newsprinter site as well?
This Google Map shows that site.
The site seems to be closed in by roads and on the Eastern side by the Cheshunt branch of the London Overground.
- It is a double-track railway.
- It runs between London Liverpool Street and Cheshunt stations.
- It only runs two trains per hour (tph) at present, but it has been designed to handle upwards of four tph.
- The trains on the route are new eight-car Class 710 trains, each of which can hold up to 1,300 passengers.
Could Sunset Studios be thinking about a rail-connected studio complex?
- Liverpool Street will be well-connected through Crossrail to much of London including Heathrow and Canary Wharf.
- Cheshunt is connected to Cambridge and Stansted.
- There are fifteen stations between Liverpool Street and Cheshunt, which must surely mean easy access to the complex for a massive number of potential employees.
A station at the complex, would certainly seem a possible move to cut the amount of road traffic travelling to and from the complex.
Riding Past The Sunset Studios Site On The London Overground
I took these pictures of the area around the Sunset Studios site from a train going North to Cheshunt.
Note, that when the line was reopened in 1960, British Rail left wide margins and from my pictures and the Google Map indicates that building a station on this stretch of line wouldn’t be the most challenging of tasks.
The Anonymous Widower 