A new train service will be introduced in 2019, taking passengers from Norwich to Stansted Airport via Ely, Spotted in Ely can reveal.
The route, featuring a new fleet of trains and operated by Greater Anglia, will run in addition to the existing service from Birmingham New Street to Stansted Airport, run by CrossCountry.
The news came as Greater Anglia announced that passenger numbers at Britain’s newest station, Cambridge North, have continued to grow since the station opened six months ago.
Over 75,000 people have used the station since it opened in May, with almost 5,000 people passing through during the week commencing September 24, the most yet and almost double that of its opening week.
Ely commuters who previously had to travel to the Cambridge business and science parks by road are among the passengers.
Four Greater Anglia trains an hour serve Cambridge North – two in each direction. Each hour, there is one departure to London, one arrival from London, one Cambridge to Norwich service and one Norwich to Cambridge service.
Four Great Northern trains per hour also serve the station, with two trains per hour to London King’s Cross, of which one is a stopping train starting at Cambridge North and one a fast train per hour on the new Ely to London fast service off peak. The service pattern is slightly different in the morning and evening peaks.
It’s hoped the station will encourage new businesses to the area in the future as well as aid the expansion of Cambridge Science Park and St John’s Innovation Centre.
Greater Anglia is working to finalise negotiations for the opening of a coffee shop and retail unit on the main station concourse.
Managing director Jamie Burles, said, “We’re delighted that Cambridge North is proving popular beyond our initial expectations and that it is benefitting residents and local businesses alike, opening up new journey opportunities in the north east of Cambridge.”
Funded by the Department for Transport and developed by Network Rail in partnership with Cambridgeshire County Council, Cambridge North has 450 car parks and 1000 cycle spaces.
The cycle shelter incorporates solar panels that provide up to 10% of the station’s power. Local cycle routes connect with the new station and it is within easy reach of the A14 and A10.
Metal cladding on the outside of the building and footbridge incorporates a pattern based on a mathematical theory called the Game of Life by Cambridge mathematician John Conway.
