March railway station

The station, which was opened in 1847, was once a major junction with a number of lines radiating from the town.

The station has been the scene of a number of accidents including a double train crash in 1896.{{cite web|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001888/18961128/048/0002|title=Boston Guardian|via=British Newspaper Archive|access-date=6 October 2019}}

The station has since reduced in importance, with several lines being dismantled or mothballed. The regional route between {{rws|Ely}} and {{rws|Peterborough}} still runs through the station and an increasing number of freight trains pass through.

The station originally had seven platforms; however, two of these are now filled-in bay platforms and the track has been removed from a further west-facing bay on the southern side of the station. There are now just two operational platforms, although track has been re-laid on two disused platforms on the northern side of the station and it is anticipated that these may be used should proposals to re-open the line to Wisbech come to fruition. The nearby Whitemoor marshalling yard returned to use in 2004, having been disused since the early 1990s.

In 2021, a Victorian ledger dating back to April 1885 was found after it fell from the loft of the station when contractors were removing rotten wood work.{{Cite news|date=2021-09-23|title=Victorian ticket ledger found at March railway station|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-58657984|access-date=2021-09-23}} The ledger is planned to go on display at the station.

In March 2022, the station car park was resurfaced and repainted.{{Cite web |last=White |first=Chloe |date=23 March 2022 |title=Temporary closure of footpath at March railway station |url=https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2022/03/temporary-closure-of-footpath-at-march-railway-station.html |access-date=23 March 2022 |website=RailAdvent |language=en-GB}}

March was once a junction for lines to {{rws|Spalding}} (opened in 1867 by the Great Northern Railway and subsequently vested jointly with the Great Eastern Railway in 1879), St Ives (opened in 1848) and {{rws|Watlington}} via Wisbech.[http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/m/march/index.shtml Disused Stations - March]Disused Stations; Retrieved 2014-01-10 The Spalding line was closed by British Rail in November 1982 and was completely lifted a few years later. The St Ives branch was closed completely in March 1967 as a result of the Beeching cuts, whilst the Wisbech line (known as the Bramley Line) closed to all traffic in 2000 having lost its regular passenger services (through to {{rws|Kings Lynn}}) in September 1968. The trackwork however remains intact and there are proposals to reopen the line as a heritage line run and maintained by enthusiasts.

CrossCountry operates an hourly service eastbound to Cambridge; alternate services extend to Stansted Airport. Westbound services travel towards Peterborough, {{rws|Leicester}} and {{rws|Birmingham New Street}}.

On weekdays, Greater Anglia operates one train every two hours in each direction between {{rws|Ipswich}} and {{rws|Peterborough}}.GB eNRT December 2015 Edition, Table 14

An hourly East Midlands Railway service between {{rws|Norwich}} and {{rws|Liverpool Lime Street}} normally runs through without stopping, though a few morning and evening peak trains do call.GB National Rail Timetable 2015–16, Tables 47 & 49

{{s-rail-start|noclear=yes}}

{{s-rail|title=National Rail}}

{{s-rail-national|previous=Whittlesea|next=Manea |toc=Greater Anglia |route=Ipswich–Peterborough}}

{{s-rail-national|next=Ely|previous=Peterborough|toc=CrossCountry|notemid=Birmingham–Stansted Airport|rowsmid=2}}

{{s-rail-national|next=Manea|previous=Whittlesea|toc=CrossCountry|route=Birmingham–Stansted Airport|hidemid=yes|note=(Limited service)|note2=(Limited service)}}

{{s-rail-national|previous=Peterborough|next=Ely|toc=East Midlands Railway|route=Liverpool–Norwich|notemid=(Limited service)|rowsmid=2|rows2=2}}

{{s-rail-national|previous=Whittlesea|next=Ely|toc=East Midlands Railway|route=Liverpool–Norwich|notemid=Limited Service|hidemid=yes|hide2=yes|note=(Limited service)}}

{{Future Heritage rail insert}}

{{Rail line|next=March Elm Road|route=Bramley Line |col={{Heritage rail colour|bb2000}} }}

{{Historical Rail Insert}}

{{Rail line|previous=Eastrea
Line open, station closed |next=Stonea
Line open, station closed |route=Great Eastern Railway
Peterborough to Ely|col={{GER colour}} }}

{{Disused Rail Insert}}

{{Rail line |next=Coldham
Line and station closed |route=British Rail
Eastern Region
Wisbech Line |col={{BR(E) colour}} }}

{{Rail line|previous=Guyhirne
Line and station closed |route=Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Railway
Doncaster to March|col={{GNGE colour}} }}

{{Rail line |next=Wimblington
Line and station closed |route=Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Railway
March to St Ives|col={{GNGE colour}} }}

{{s-end}}

{{reflist}}

{{commons category-inline|March railway station}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20120425020535/http://www.fomrs.org.uk/ Friends Of March Railway Station]

{{Railway stations served by Greater Anglia}}

{{Railway stations served by East Midlands Railway}}

Category:Railway stations in Cambridgeshire

Category:DfT Category E stations

Category:Former Great Eastern Railway stations

Category:Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1847

Category:Railway stations served by East Midlands Railway

Category:Railway stations served by CrossCountry

Category:Railway stations served by Greater Anglia

Category:1847 establishments in England

Category:March, Cambridgeshire