The station was opened in 1845 by the Eastern Counties Railway at a cost of £81,500,the land on which it was built being a marshy swamp.[2] The station was modified substantially by British Rail in the early 1990s,at the time that electrification of the line was taking place.
Description
Ely station looking north
The station building was designed by Francis Thompson (architect) although Sancton Wood as chief architect is often given credit. On opening the station building had two Italianate towers –one at the north end and the another above the booking office. There were two cubed pavilions either side of an arcade. When the station opened it had three platforms and these were linked by a footbridge to the south of the station buildings. This footbridge was later replaced (sometime before 1902) by a substantial brick footbridge located at the north end of the station but by 1925 a subway had been constructed and this is in use today (2020).[3]
In the 1920s there were carriage sidings to the east of the station which were used by stock for local all stations trains towards Newmarket,Peterborough,King's Lynn and Norwich. The engine shed and goods yard were located south of the station and a level crossing was located immediately north of the station.[4] The level crossing existed because the underbridge had limited clearance so taller lorries had to travel this way sometimes causing delays to the railway services.
The station was rebuilt in the 1929/1930 by the LNER in a similar style and it is suspected that the towers were removed at that time.[5] While the rest of the structures remained intact,during the remodelling in the 1990s the space for three tracks between the platforms (the third track had been removed some years earlier) was reduced to two and the lines through the station were electrified. On 1 November 2018 following the opening of the Ely bypass,the level crossing immediately north of the station was closed to road traffic.[6]
One and a half miles north of the station the line splits three ways with the lines towards March and Peterborough,King's Lynn and Norwich. There is also a loop that allows for traffic from the King's Lynn and Norwich lines a direct route to March and Peterborough that diverges here and joins the Peterborough line at Ely West Junction.
Services
July 1922
All services in 1922 were operated by the Great Eastern Railway. Ely was the origin point for some local stopping services to March,Newmarket,King's Lynn and Norwich as well as the branch line to St Ives. As a result,there were some carriage sidings on the east side of the station where stock for these was stabled overnight.
Longer distance services all called at Ely although one exception was the 11.20 London St Pancras –King's Lynn and Hunstanton. The GER had running rights into St. Pancras via the Tottenham and Hampstead and it was used by them when running royal trains to Sandringham which was located on the Hunstanton line. Most London trains originated at Liverpool Street station.
Some trains such as the 11.50 Liverpool Street service arrived at Ely at 13.34 and split into Hunstanton and Norwich portions. Pullman cars and restaurant cars worked would have been seen on the longer distance trains operating through the area at this time. A number of services to and from the Norwich line avoided the station completely,by being routed via the West Curve unlike 2020,where nearly all services call at Ely and reverse.
Ely was served by the Hook Continental service from Parkeston Quay to various destinations in the North and Midlands. By 2020 standards service levels were low and on Sunday there were few trains running. For example,on the King's Lynn line there was one departure to Hunstanton departing Ely at 12.00 and one to King's Lynn at 17.40.
Great Northern serve the station as part of their service from London King's Cross to King's Lynn. Outside peak hours the services run non-stop between London and Cambridge as part of the half-hourly "Cambridge Cruiser" service. Trains then continue beyond Cambridge,with one an hour terminating at Ely and one continuing stopping at all stations on the Fen Line to King's Lynn. The journey from King's Cross to Ely is timetabled to take just over an hour on the fastest services. During peak hours most trains divide (northbound) or couple (southbound) at Cambridge which adds some minutes to the journey time. In addition,during peak hours most services make additional stops between London Kings Cross and Cambridge which contributes further to an extended journey time. During recent years the number of direct services has increased;from the timetable change of December 2013 there are direct services from London every half hour from 16:44 to 23:14. Some off-peak services can take as little as 1 hour and 5 minutes between London and Ely. During peak hours they can take up to 1 hour and 21 minutes. All services are operated by Class 387electrical multiple units.
An hourly service between Cambridge and Norwich via the Breckland Line. These services normally use four coach Class 755 units. Four units are diagrammed to work the hourly service. Nine services a day are extended to Stansted Airport [9]
A two hourly service between Ipswich and Peterborough via Bury St Edmunds. These services normally use three or four coach Class 755 units. Two units are diagrammed to work the two hourly service.[10]
On weekdays there are four services that operate to London Liverpool Street in the morning peak,three of which originate at King's Lynn while one commences at Ely. There are four return journeys in the evening;one terminating at Ely while the other three continue to King's Lynn. There is no service on Saturday or Sunday. These services normally use Class 720electrical multiple units,[11] replacing the now stored Class 379
The Hunstanton portion of the 10.39 service from Liverpool Street at Ely in 1958Trains in the station platformsEly railway station signals
There are two branches of Locoespresso[12] on the station:one on platform 1,with the other on platforms 2 and 3. These serve hot and cold drinks,as well as snacks,magazines and newspapers. Platform 1 also has an L.A. Golden Bean kiosk,which sells hot &cold drinks and snacks.
Operations
Accidents and incidents
On 25 August 1866,a passenger train derailed near Ely due to defective track. One person was killed and five were seriously injured.[13]
On 1 June 1870,a passenger train was derailed near Ely. Some passengers sustained minor injuries.[14]
On 2 April 1874,two freight trains collided at Ely.[15]
On 16 January 1890,a train from Newmarket ran into the rear of a freight train near Ely.[16]
On 26 September 1905,a freight train derailed at Dock Junction,fouling the adjacent line. A passenger train collided with derailed wagons. Four passengers were injured,one seriously.[17]
On 22 June 2007,a goods train derailed at Hawk Bridge which carries the Ipswich line over the River Great Ouse a mile south of Ely. Photographs showed derailed wagons on their side,only prevented from plunging off the embankment by subsidiary structures and their attachment to the rest of the train. As a consequence of the derailment the bridge had to be rebuilt and there were no train services between Ely and Bury St. Edmunds until the works were completed on 21 December 2007.[18]
On 14 August 2017,a freight train was derailed at Ely West Junction,near Queen Adelaide. The line between Ely and Peterborough was closed until 21 August.[19][20]
Engine Shed
Opened in 1847,the shed would have housed locomotives for some of the local all stations services operating around Ely. A shed was employed from opening but this was replaced by a second structure in 1867.
This was a single road engine shed located on the up side,south of the station. The shed was a corrugated iron affair and a timber coaling stage allowed coaling of trains by hand. There was a turntable which was provided from opening and replaced by a 45-foot turntable in 1879 and as loco designs got bigger this in turn was replaced by a 55-foot turntable in 1912.[21]
A short siding extended from the loco yard to a small dock on the river.
The D13/D14 class were employed on local passenger services with some of the J15 0-6-0s which would have also worked freight trains. The J69 tank engine was employed to shunt the goods yard and station area. It is unclear when the shed was demolished but steam locomotives continued to use the site until the end of 1962. After that,an outbased Cambridge diesel shunter took care of shunting duties in the area until the early 1990s. When not in use,this was stabled in a short siding adjacent to the station.
Signalling
The list below shows the signal boxes operating in the Ely area when the area was controlled by manually operated by semaphore signals. The boxes are listed south to north.[23]
Name
Remarks
Closed
Sutton Branch Junction
Junction for St Ives Line and opened in 1866 with that line. After closure this the junction was worked by Ely Dock Junction
17 July 1932
Ely Dock Junction
Junction for Newmarket Line. The first box (50 levers) was located west of the line and this was replaced in 1928 on the opposite side. By 1932 this had 82 levers
23–25 April 1992
Ely South
Controlled the south end of Ely station
29 June 1985
Ely North
Ely Station North was opened in 1880 and was a Great Eastern Railway Type 2 design built by Stevens &Sons. It opened fitted with a 37 lever Stevens &Sons Tappet frame which was extended to 41 levers (possibly in LNER days).
10 April 1992 - demolished on 27–29 April 1992.
Ely South Junction
This short-lived box controlled the south entrance to sidings that existed just south of Ely North Junction. These were used to reverse Norwich/King's Lynn line to March trains before the West Curve opened. The location also had a turntable for turning locomotives
1890
Ely North Junction
The two boxes located at Ely North Junction were the busiest of the Ely boxes,controlling the triple junction and,from 1890,both ends of the West Curve which allowed trains to run direct between Norwich and Peterborough instead of reversing at Ely station. the first box was opened in 1874 and was a Saxby &Farmer/Great Eastern type 1 design of wooden construction. By the mid-1920s the box was supported by a brace and with the decision to build a new sugar beet factory on land to the east of the line,the LNER replaced the box with a new brick built box,(LNER Type 11a) which also controlled the entry to the sugar factory beet sidings.
April 1992
Adelaide
15 levers - located on the King's Lynn line by the B1382 level crossing. Control passed to Ely North Junction.
3 November 1930
Ely West Junction
Opened 1890 to operate the connection from the March Line to the West Curve. Control passed to Ely North Junction.
3 November 1930
Ely Station North signal box,level crossing and semaphore signals
The station area is currently (2020) controlled by Cambridge Power Signal Box.
The Great Eastern Railway (GER) was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia. The company was grouped into the London and North Eastern Railway in 1923.
The Fen Line is a railway line in the east of England that links Cambridge in the south to King's Lynn in the north. The line runs through Cambridgeshire and Norfolk and the name of the line refers to the Fens which border Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Lincolnshire. It is 41 miles 47 chains (66.9 km) in length and has eight stations.
The West Anglia Main Line is one of the two main lines that operate out of Liverpool Street, the other being the Great Eastern Main Line, which operates services to Ipswich and Norwich via Colchester. It runs generally north through Cheshunt, Broxbourne, Harlow, Bishop's Stortford and Audley End to Cambridge, with branches between serving Stratford, Hertford and Stansted Airport. The line runs along the boundary between Hertfordshire and Essex for much of its length.
King's Lynn railway station is the northern terminus of the Fen line in the east of England, serving the town of King's Lynn, Norfolk. It is 41 miles 47 chains (66.9 km) from Cambridge and 96 miles 75 chains (156.0 km) measured from London Liverpool Street.
The Breckland line is a secondary railway line in the east of England that links Cambridge in the west to Norwich in the east. The line runs through three counties: Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Norfolk. It takes its name from the Breckland region of Norfolk, and passes through Thetford Forest.
Cambridge railway station is the principal station serving the city of Cambridge in the east of England. It stands at the end of Station Road, 1 mile (1.6 km) south-east of the city centre. It is the northern terminus of the West Anglia Main Line, 55 miles 52 chains (89.6 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street, the southern terminus.
The Birmingham–Peterborough line is a cross-country railway line in the United Kingdom, linking Birmingham, Leicester and Peterborough, via Nuneaton, Oakham and Stamford
Peterborough railway station serves the city of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. It is 76 miles 29 chains (122.9 km) down the East Coast Main Line from London King's Cross. The station is a major interchange serving both the north–south ECML, as well as long-distance and local east–west services. The station is managed by London North Eastern Railway. Ticket gates came into use at the station in 2012.
Northallerton railway station is on the East Coast Main Line serving the town of Northallerton in North Yorkshire, England. It is 218 miles 36 chains (351.6 km) north of London King's Cross between Thirsk to the south and Darlington to the north. Its three-letter station code is NTR.
The Ely–Peterborough line is a railway line in England, linking East Anglia to the Midlands. It is a part of the Network Rail Strategic Route 5, SRS 05.07 and is classified as a secondary line. It is used by a variety of inter-regional and local passenger services from East Anglia to the West Midlands and North West, as well as freight and infrastructure traffic; it also links with the busy East Coast Main Line at its western end. Fenland District council put forward their Rail Development Strategy for the route in 2012, which includes infrastructure upgrades for the intermediate stations, improved frequencies for the services using it and establishing a Community Rail Partnership for the line in 2013–14.
The Ipswich–Ely line is a railway line linking East Anglia to the English Midlands via Ely. There is also a branch line to Cambridge. Passenger services are operated by Abellio Greater Anglia. It is a part of Network Rail Strategic Route 5, SRS 05.07, 05.08 and part of SRS 07.03. The line has previously been part of the Great Eastern Main Line.
Stowmarket railway station is on the Great Eastern Main Line (GEML) in the East of England, serving the town of Stowmarket, Suffolk. It is 80 miles 9 chains (128.9 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Needham Market to the south and Diss to the north. It is also the junction where the Ipswich to Ely Line joins the GEML. Its three-letter station code is SMK.
Marks Tey railway station is on the Great Eastern Main Line (GEML) in the East of England, serving the village of Marks Tey, Essex. It is 46 miles 49 chains (75.02 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and on the GEML is situated between Kelvedon to the west and Colchester to the east. Marks Tey is also the southern terminus of the Gainsborough Line to Sudbury. Its three-letter station code is MKT. The "up" (London-bound) platform 1 has an operational length for nine-coach trains, the "down" (Colchester-bound) platform 2 can accommodate 11-coach trains and platform 3 has an operational length for two-coach trains.
Wymondham railway station is on the Breckland Line in the East of England, serving the town of Wymondham, Norfolk. The line runs between Cambridge in the west and Norwich in the east. It is situated between Spooner Row and Norwich, 113 miles 72 chains (183.3 km) from London Liverpool Street via Ely.
March railway station is on the Ely–Peterborough line in the east of England and serves the town of March, Cambridgeshire. It is 85 miles 76 chains (138.3 km) measured from London Liverpool Street via Ely and is situated between Manea and Whittlesea stations.
Bishop's Stortford railway station is on the West Anglia Main Line serving the town of Bishop's Stortford in Hertfordshire, England. It is 30 miles 27 chains (48.8 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Sawbridgeworth and Stansted Mountfitchet stations. Its three-letter station code is BIS.
Haughley railway station was located in Haughley, Suffolk on the Great Eastern Main Line between Liverpool Street Station and Norwich. It opened on 7 July 1849 named Haughley Junction and was a replacement for a station named Haughley Road which had been in service from 1846 to 1849 at location TM 02981 63319 on the line to Elmswell.
The Wymondham to Wells Branch was a railway built in stages by the Norfolk Railway, Eastern Counties Railway and Wells and Fakenham Company between 1847 and 1857. The railway ran from Wymondham in the south, through Dereham and Fakenham to the coastal town of Wells-next-the-Sea; more specifically, the line ran from Wymondham South Junction, where it met the present-day Breckland Line. Passenger services along the line lasted until 1969; the railway continued to be used for freight until 1989. The southern section of the railway now forms the Mid-Norfolk Railway, with part of the northern section serving as the narrow gauge Wells and Walsingham Light Railway.
The Railways in Ely are an important interchange point between several routes in England. There are junctions north and south of the city where rail routes from Suffolk and Norfolk connect with routes to London, the Midlands, the north of England, and Scotland. Several rail freight operating companies use these routes and four passenger train operating companies provide services through Ely.
The Lynn and Hunstanton Railway was a line in Norfolk, England that opened in 1862. The railway was a major factor in developing Hunstanton as a seaside resort and residential community. The company was allied to the West Norfolk Junction Railway which built a line connecting Heacham, south of Hunstanton, to Wells-next-the-Sea that was not a financial success. The companies amalgamated in 1874 to form the Hunstanton and West Norfolk Railway, and in 1890 the company was sold to the Great Eastern Railway.
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