SOHAM TRAIN STATION CAMPAIGN

 Soham Train Station Campaign
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 Proposal for a Train Station and Service at Soham

The primary traffic flow from Soham is to Cambridge followed shortly behind by Ely and Newmarket. One Railway already run passenger services between London Liverpool Street, Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds, Ely and Peterborough. Unfortunately this rail route is not the major way the average commuter needs to travel but passenger trains from Peterborough to London Liverpool Street do actually pass through Soham already (14 times a day, 7 times in each direction) but cannot stop because there is no Station or Platform.

The main area of traffic congestion is on the A14 and A10 to Cambridge, the A142/A14 Interchange Flyover at Newmarket and also at the A142 Railway Bridge as you approach Ely from Soham. The newly opened A142 Fordham By-pass and the proposed Ely Southern By-pass to avoid the Railway Bridge, would only further increase traffic on this road. The A1123 between Soham (through Wicken & Stretham) towards the A10 has seen an increase of 70% more traffic in the last 10 years alone. The result is that it not only affects commuters from Soham but people and traffic in and around Cambridge, Ely, Newmarket and the surrounding villages.

The first and most ideal solution would be to reinstate the Warren Hill Junction/Snailwell Junction Chord but this would involve significant civil engineering works including a new bridge together with substantial re-signalling which would also have to be connected to the Cambridge power signalbox. This would involve Network Rail in several million pounds of expenditure not currently catered for in their Network Management Statement

The second and most viable solution would be for passengers to travel to Ely from Soham and change trains to the existing Ely - Cambridge service. This could easily be accommodated within the existing Peterborough – London Liverpool Street passenger route with little change to the service and signalling being required.

The third solution would be to travel to Cambridge via Newmarket by reversing at the Chippenham Junction. This would enable a rail link to and from Ely, Soham, Newmarket and Cambridge and a cheaper alternative than the first solution but not the second. 

The question of rolling stock would also arise. To travel to Ely would not require any additional stock and could be catered for within the existing service.  However, to travel via Newmarket would involve One Railway hiring further multiple units, probably class 153's (which are comparatively cheap), and providing staff to run the service.

If the Soham Railway Station campaign ever comes to fruition, it would be great to actually have a station rebuilt at Soham rather than just a platform to honour the four courageous men who saved Soham from totally destruction on June 2nd 1944. So please support the re-opening of the Soham Train Station by E-Mailing:

 I think so, don't you ???