Soham railway station

The station was opened on 1 September 1879.[1] It was destroyed on 2 June 1944, when a munitions train caught fire and blew up, killing two and damaging over seven hundred buildings. The signal box, also damaged in the explosion which resulted in the death of signalman Frank Bridges, is now preserved on the Mid-Norfolk Railway.

Although the line remained open, the station was closed to passengers on 13 September 1965.[1][2]

Since closure a local campaign has run to reopen the station.[3][4] In February 2011 East Cambridgeshire District Council obtained funding for a study into a possible reopening.[5] In January 2013 Network Rail released a five-year upgrade plan, which included reopening Soham station as part of improvements to the Ipswich to Ely Line.[6]

A Network Rail study concluded that building a new station on the existing infrastructure was feasible and that the current line could support an additional stop at Soham. Although Soham was unsuccessful in a bid submitted to the New Stations Fund second round,[7] funding was obtained from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority and Cambridgeshire County Council to progress the next stage of design work with Network Rail.[8][9]

Under the chosen design option, there will be a single platform to the east side of the railway track. The platform will be 335 feet (102 m) long to accommodate four-car trains and will include waiting shelters, lighting, information screens and a public-address system. A stepped footbridge will allow public access across the railway and is proposed to connect up to an existing public right of way via a diverted footpath. The footbridge has provision for lifts to be installed at a later date if a second platform is required as part of a future doubling scheme.[10] The station will be sited on the former station site within the boundary of Network Rail land with no requirements to purchase land from third parties. A car park will accommodate 50 vehicles. The station will be operated and managed by Greater Anglia with a two-hourly train service in each direction on the Ipswich to Peterborough route.[11] There are no current plans for direct services to Cambridge (which would require reinstatement of the Warren Hill Junction / Snailwell Junction chord), but Mayor James Palmer has expressed support for the idea in a future phase of the project.[12]

The timetable for delivery is summer 2021,[13] with building work scheduled to start in September 2020.[12] The contract for Network Rail to build the station was signed in November 2019.[14][15]

There is a heavy service of freight trains on the route, principally between Felixstowe Docks and the Midlands/North of the country. A passenger train service operates on the line every two hours between Ipswich and Peterborough. The nearest stations currently open are Ely to the north and Kennett to the south.

• Story of destruction of station on village website
• Station on 1947 OS Map