Hereward Line
{{Short description|Railway line in Cambridgeshire, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox rail line
|name = Hereward line
|color =
|logo =
|logo_width =
|image = Train Speeds towards Peterborough - geograph.org.uk - 1930671.jpg
|image_width = 300px
|caption = National Express East Anglia Class 170 Turbostar near Turves in 2010
|type = Heavy rail
|system = National Rail
|status = Operational
|locale = Cambridgeshire, England
|start = Ely
{{coord|52.3910|0.2665|type:railwaystation_region:GB|display=inline|name=Ely station}}
|end = Peterborough
{{coord|52.5746|-0.2499|type:railwaystation_region:GB|display=inline|name=Peterborough station}}
|stations = 3 not counting Ely and Peterborough
|routes =
|daily_ridership =
|open =
|close =
|owner = Network Rail
|operator = CrossCountry
East Midlands Railway
Abellio Greater Anglia
|stock = Class 755, Class 170, Class 15x, Class 66
|linelength =
|tracklength =
|tracks = Two
|gauge = {{track gauge|uksg|allk=on}}
|electrification =
|speed = 75 mph maximum
|elevation =
|map = 300px
(Click to expand)
|map_state = uncollapsed
}}
{{Ely to Peterborough Line|collapse=y}}
The Ely–Peterborough line (also known as the Hereward Line{{Cite web |title=The Hereward Line |url=https://www.greateranglia.co.uk/hereward-line-0 |access-date=2024-06-01 |website=Greater Anglia |language=en}}) 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.{{cite web
|url=http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/StrategicBusinessPlan/RoutePlans/2009/Route%205%20-%20West%20Anglia.pdf
|title=Route 5 – West Anglia
|publisher=Network Rail
|access-date=2009-05-22
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607104701/http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/StrategicBusinessPlan/RoutePlans/2009/Route%205%20-%20West%20Anglia.pdf
|archive-date=2011-06-07
|url-status=dead
}} 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 (the area's primary local authority) put forward their Rail Development Strategy for the route in 2012, which included infrastructure upgrades for the intermediate stations, improved frequencies for the services using it (e.g. doubling the Birmingham New Street to Stansted Airport service to half-hourly and the Ipswich to Peterborough service to hourly) and establishing a Community Rail Partnership for the line in 2013–14.{{cite web| url=http://www.fenland.gov.uk/article/3489/Fenland-Rail-Development-Strategy| title=Fenland Rail Development Strategy| website=Fenland District Council| access-date=2014-01-13}}
History
The line was originally opened by the Eastern Counties Railway company in 1847, linking the ECR mainline from London via {{rws|Cambridge}} and Ely to {{rws|Brandon}} and {{rws|Norwich}} with Peterborough.{{cite web| url=http://www.penrug.org.uk/historical%20background.html| website=Peterborough–Ely–Norwich RUG| title=Historical Background| access-date=2014-01-13}} Trains initially terminated and started from {{rws|Peterborough East}}, though a link to the Great Northern Railway's station was subsequently built to allow through running to the Midland Railway line to {{rws|Leicester}} and the GNR main line to the north. Onward travel was also possible over two London and North Western Railway lines from Peterborough, to {{rws|Rugby}} and {{rws|Northampton}} whilst March would soon become a very busy junction with the opening of branches to {{rws|King's Lynn}} via Wisbech and Cambridge via St Ives (both by the ECR) in 1847–48 and the GNR route to {{rws|Spalding}} in 1867. The latter two were subsequently jointly vested in the GER and GNR in 1879.
Many of the branches fell victim to the Beeching Axe in the early to mid 1960s, as did Peterborough East and several of the intermediate stations.{{cite web| url=http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/p/peterborough_east/| website=Disused Stations| title=Peterborough East| access-date=2014-01-13}} The March–Spalding line also closed in 1982 with the rundown of the marshalling yard at Whitemoor, leaving only the original main line in operation.
Service
Image:EWS Class 66 (66069) at March East - geograph.org.uk - 1929716.jpg
Passenger services are provided by CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway and Greater Anglia. To the west most trains continue beyond Peterborough to either Leicester and {{rws|Birmingham New Street}} (via the Birmingham–Peterborough line), or to {{rws|Nottingham}}, {{rws|Sheffield}}, {{rws|Manchester Piccadilly}} and {{rws|Liverpool Lime Street}}. To the east most trains continue beyond Ely to {{rws|Norwich}} or to {{rws|Cambridge}} and Stansted Airport (joining the Breckland Line) or to {{rws|Ipswich}}. Connections are available for stations to {{rws|King's Lynn}} at Ely. Services used to run between London and Peterborough until 2010.
The line is used extensively by freight trains from the Port of Felixstowe to the West Midlands, North West and Scotland, as it forms part of the Felixstowe to {{rws|Nuneaton}} rail freight corridor that is being upgraded by Network Rail to allow more railborne freight from the port to be diverted away from London.{{cite web| url=http://www.freightonrail.org.uk/PDF/SFN%20F2N2%20pres%20to%20Felixstowe%20Port%20event.pdf| title=Developing Rail Freight: Felixstowe–Nuneaton| website=Network Rail| date=2012-03-02| access-date=2014-01-13}}
Infrastructure
The line is double track throughout, has a loading gauge of W10 and a line speed of {{cvt|40|-|75|mph}}. Apart from short stretches at each end, the line is not electrified.
See also
References
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ely-Peterborough line}}
Category:Rail transport in Cambridgeshire
Category:Transport in Peterborough