View source for Ely railway station

{{Short description|Railway station in Cambridgeshire, England}}
{{For|the former railway station in Cardiff|Ely Main Line railway station}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2013}}
{{Infobox station
| name                = Ely
| symbol_location     = gb
| symbol              = rail
| image               = Elyext.jpg
| borough             = [[Ely, Cambridgeshire|Ely]], [[East Cambridgeshire]]
| country             = England
| grid_name           = [[Ordnance Survey National Grid|Grid reference]]
| grid_position       = {{gbmapscaled|TL542793|25|TL542793}}
| manager             = [[Greater Anglia (train operating company)|Greater Anglia]]
| platforms           = 3
| code                = ELY
| classification      = [[United Kingdom railway station categories|DfT category]] D
| opened              = 30 July 1845.<ref name="http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=21883">[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=21883 History Of The City of Ely]</ref>
| mpassengers =
<!--{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2017/18 |passengers={{increase}} 2.282 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{increase}} 0.456 million}}-->
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2018/19 |passengers={{increase}} 2.387 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{increase}} 0.466 million}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2019/20 |passengers={{decrease}} 2.364 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{decrease}} 0.416 million}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2020/21 |passengers={{decrease}} 0.577 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{decrease}} 74,729}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2021/22 |passengers={{increase}} 1.635 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{increase}} 0.273 million}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2022/23 |passengers={{increase}} 1.894 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{increase}} 0.345 million}}
| footnotes           = Passenger statistics from the [[Office of Rail and Road]]
}}

'''Ely railway station''' is on the [[Fen line]] in the [[east of England]], serving the cathedral city of [[Ely, Cambridgeshire|Ely]], Cambridgeshire. It is {{convert|70|mi|30|chain|km}} from [[Liverpool Street station|London Liverpool Street]] and is situated between {{rws|Waterbeach}} and {{rws|Littleport}} stations on the Fen line to King's Lynn. It is an important junction for three other lines: the [[Ely to Peterborough Line]], the [[Ipswich to Ely Line]] and the [[Breckland line|Norwich to Ely line]].

Ely is a busy station with trains running to a variety of destinations including London, {{rws|Cambridge}}, {{rws|King's Lynn}}, [[Birmingham New Street railway station|Birmingham]], {{rws|Nottingham}}, {{rws|Sheffield}}, [[Manchester Piccadilly station|Manchester]] and [[Liverpool Lime Street railway station|Liverpool]]. It is managed by [[Greater Anglia (train operating company)|Greater Anglia]], which is also one of four train operators that serve the station, the others being [[Thameslink and Great Northern|Great Northern]], [[CrossCountry]] and [[East Midlands Railway]].

The station was opened on 30 July 1845 by the [[Eastern Counties Railway]] at a cost of £81,500; the land on which it was built being a marshy swamp.<ref>{{cite book |last=Gordon |first=D.I. |title=Volume V: The Eastern Counties |series=A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain |year=1968 |publisher=[[David and Charles]] }}</ref> The station was modified substantially by [[British Rail]] in the early 1990s, at the time that electrification of the line was taking place.

==Description==
[[File:Ely station cambs.jpg|thumb|Ely station looking north in June 1905]]The station building was designed by [[Francis Thompson (architect)|Francis Thompson]] although [[Sancton Wood]] as chief architect is often given credit. On opening the station building had two [[Italianate]] towers – one at the north end and the other above the booking office. There were two cubed pavilions either side of an arcade. When the station opened it had three platforms and these were linked by a footbridge to the south of the station buildings. This footbridge was later replaced (sometime before 1902) by a substantial brick footbridge located at the north end of the station but by 1925 a subway had been constructed and this is in use today (2020).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Taylor |first1=Dave |title=The A-Z of Great Eastern stations - Ely |journal=Great Eastern Journal |date=April 1997 |volume=90 |page=10}}</ref>

In the 1920s there were carriage sidings to the east of the station which were used by stock for local all stations trains towards [[Newmarket (Suffolk) railway station|Newmarket]], {{rws|Peterborough}}, {{rws|King's Lynn}} and [[Norwich railway station|Norwich Thorpe]]. The [[Motive power depot|engine shed]] and goods yard were located south of the station and a [[level crossing]] was located immediately north of the station.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Taylor |first1=Dave |title=The A-Z of Great Eastern stations - Ely |journal=Great Eastern Journal |date=April 1997 |volume=90 |page=10}}</ref> The level crossing existed because the underbridge had limited clearance so taller lorries had to travel this way sometimes causing delays to the railway services.

The station was rebuilt in 1929/1930 by the [[London and North Eastern Railway|LNER]] in a similar style and it is suspected that the towers were removed at that time.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Petty |first1=Mike |title=1929 07 05ES |url=https://archive.org/details/a-cambridgeshire-scrapbook-1897-1990-by-mike-petty.-july-2020/page/n1513/mode/2up?q=ely+railway+station |website=A Cambridgeshire scrapbook (p1513) |date=3 July 2020 |publisher=Mike Petty |access-date=6 July 2020}}</ref>  While the rest of the structures remained intact, during the remodelling in the 1990s the space for three tracks between the platforms (the third track had been removed some years earlier) was reduced to two and the lines through the station were electrified. On 1 November 2018 following the opening of the Ely [[Bypass (road)|bypass]], the level crossing immediately north of the station was closed to road traffic.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ely Southern Bypass |url=https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/residents/travel-roads-and-parking/transport-projects/ely-southern-bypass#:~:text=Ely%20Southern%20Bypass%20The%20Ely%20southern%20bypass%20is,Angel%20Drove%20to%20the%20south%20of%20the%20city. |website=Cambridgeshire County Council }}</ref>

One and a half miles north of the station the line splits three ways with the lines towards {{rws|March}} and Peterborough, King's Lynn and Norwich. There is also a loop that allows for traffic from the King's Lynn and Norwich lines a direct route to March and Peterborough that diverges here and joins the Peterborough line at Ely West Junction.

==Services==
===July 1922===
All services in 1922 were operated by the Great Eastern Railway. Ely was the start point for some local stopping services to March, Newmarket, King's Lynn and Norwich, as well as the branch line to [[St Ives railway station (Cambridgeshire)|St. Ives]]. As a result, there were some carriage sidings on the east side of the station where stock for these was stabled overnight.

Longer distance services all called at Ely, although one exception was the 11:20 [[London St Pancras]] – King's Lynn and {{rws|Hunstanton}}. The GER had running rights into St. Pancras, via Tottenham and Hampstead, and it was used by them when running royal trains to [[Sandringham House|Sandringham]] which was located on the Hunstanton line. Most London trains originated from Liverpool Street station.

Some trains, such as the 11:50 Liverpool Street service, arrived at Ely at 13:34 and split into Hunstanton and Norwich portions. Pullman cars and restaurant cars would have been seen on the longer distance trains operating through the area at this time.

A number of services to and from the Norwich line avoided the station completely, by being routed via the West Curve; this was unlike 2020, where nearly all services call at Ely and reverse.

Ely was served by the ''Hook Continental'' service from [[Harwich International railway station|Harwich Parkeston Quay]] to various destinations in the North and Midlands. 

By 2020{{clarify|date=September 2024|reason=Hunstanton station closed in 1969}}, standards service levels were low and on Sunday there were few trains running; for example, on the King's Lynn line, there was one departure to Hunstanton departing Ely at 12:00 and one to King's Lynn at 17:40.

===Present day===
The station is served by four operators:

* [[CrossCountry]] trains provides an hourly service from Stansted Airport and {{rws|Cambridge}} to [[Birmingham New Street railway station|Birmingham New Street]], via {{rws|Peterborough}} and {{rws|Leicester}}. It uses [[British Rail Class 170|Class 170 Turbostar]] [[diesel multiple unit]]s.<ref>GB eNRT December 2015 Edition, Table 47 (Network Rail)</ref>
* [[East Midlands Railway]] provides an (approximately) hourly service from {{rws|Norwich}} to {{rws|Liverpool Lime Street}}, via Peterborough, {{stn|Nottingham}}, {{stn|Sheffield}} and {{stn|Manchester Piccadilly}}. Services are operated using [[British Rail Class 158|Class 158]] DMUs (or, occasionally, [[British Rail Class 170|Class 170]] DMUs) which reverse at Ely.<ref>GB eNRT December 2015 Edition, Table 49 (Network Rail)</ref>
* [[Thameslink and Great Northern|Great Northern]] serve the station as part of their service from {{rws|London King's Cross}} to {{rws|King's Lynn}}. Outside peak hours, the services run non-stop between London and Cambridge as part of the half-hourly ''Cambridge Cruiser'' service. Trains then continue beyond Cambridge, with one an hour terminating at Ely and one continuing stopping at all stations on the [[Fen Line]] to King's Lynn. The journey from King's Cross to Ely is timetabled to take just over an hour on the fastest services. During peak hours, most trains divide (northbound) or couple (southbound) at Cambridge which adds some minutes to the journey time. In addition, during peak hours most services make additional stops between London Kings Cross and Cambridge which contributes further to an extended journey time. Over recent years, the number of direct services has increased: from the timetable change of December 2013, there are direct services from London every half hour from 16:44 to 23:14. Some off-peak services can take as little as 1 hour and 5 minutes between London and Ely. During peak hours, they can take up to 1 hour and 21 minutes. All services are operated by [[British Rail Class 387|Class 387]] [[electric multiple unit]]s.
* [[Greater Anglia (train operating company)|Greater Anglia]] serves the station with three routes:
**An hourly service between Cambridge and Norwich, via the [[Breckland Line]]. These services normally use four-coach [[British Rail Class 755|Class 755]] units. Four units are diagrammed to work the hourly service. Nine services a day are extended to Stansted Airport<ref>GB eNRT December 2015 Edition, Table 17 (Network Rail)</ref>
**A two-hourly service between {{rws|Ipswich}} and Peterborough, via {{rws|Bury St Edmunds}}. These services normally use a pair of three or four-coach Class 755 units.<ref>GB eNRT December 2015 Edition, Table 14 (Network Rail)</ref>
**On weekdays, there are four services that operate from here to [[Liverpool Street station|London Liverpool Street]] in the morning peak. There are four return journeys in the evening; There is no service on Saturday or Sunday. These services normally use [[British Rail Class 720|Class 720]] EMUs,<ref>Greater Anglia new trains now reach whole network thanks to Ely and King's Lynn services (Greater Anglia) 2022</ref> replacing the now stored [[British Rail Class 379|Class 379]]. Services used to go towards King's Lynn until December 2022.

[[File:Ely railway station geograph-2168603.jpg|thumb|right|The Hunstanton portion of the 10.39 service from Liverpool Street at Ely in August 1958]]
[[File:Two trains at Ely (geograph 5067837).jpg|thumb|right|Trains in the station platforms in August 2016]]
[[File:Ely railway station - route indicating signals - geograph.org.uk - 1624743.jpg|thumb|right|Ely railway station signals in November 2009]]

===Summary===
{{s-rail-start|noclear=yes}}
{{s-rail|title=National Rail}}
{{s-rail-national|previous=Cambridge|next=March|toc=CrossCountry|notemid=Stansted Airport - Birmingham New Street Line|rows1=2|rowsmid=2}}
{{s-rail-national|previous=Cambridge|next=Manea|toc=CrossCountry|hide1=yes|hidemid=yes|note2=Limited Service}}
{{s-rail-national|previous=Thetford|next=Peterborough|toc=East Midlands Railway|route=Norwich-Liverpool Lime Street Line|rowsmid=2}}
{{s-rail-national|previous=Brandon|next=March|toc=East Midlands Railway|route=Norwich - Liverpool Lime Street Line|hidemid=yes|note=Limited Service|note2=Limited Service}}
{{s-rail-national|previous=Waterbeach|next=Littleport|toc=Great Northern|route=[[Fen Line|King's Lynn - Cambridge]]}}
{{s-rail-national|previous=Cambridge North|next=Brandon|toc=Greater Anglia|route=[[Breckland Line|Norwich - Cambridge]]|rows1=2|rowsmid=2}}
{{s-rail-national|previous=Cambridge North|next=Shippea Hill|toc=Greater Anglia|route=Breckland Line|Norwich - Cambridge|hide1=yes|hidemid=yes|note2=Limited Services}}
{{s-rail-national|previous=Soham|next=Manea|toc=Greater Anglia|route=Ipswich - Peterborough Line}}
{{s-rail-national|previous=Waterbeach|next=|toc=Greater Anglia|route=London Liverpool Street - Norwich Line|notemid=Peak only}}
{{s-note|text=Future Services}}
{{rail line|previous={{rws|Cambridge}}|next={{rws|Norwich}}|route=[[East West Rail]]<br /><small>Oxford-Norwich</small>|col= {{temporary rail colour}}}}
{{s-rail-next|title=Historical}}
{{s-rail-national |previous=Soham |note=Line and station open|toc=GER |route=[[Ely and Newmarket Railway]] |status=Historical }}
{{s-rail-national|previous=Chettisham |note=Line open, station closed |toc=GER|route=Ely to Peterborough Line|status=Historical}}
{{s-rail-next|title=Disused}}
{{s-rail-national|previous=Stretham |note=Line and station closed |toc=GER|route=[[Ely and St Ives Railway]]|status=Disused}}
{{end}}

== Retail==

There are two branches of ''Locoespresso''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.locoespresso.com/|title=Locoespresso}}</ref> on the station: one on platform 1, with the other on platforms 2 and 3. These serve hot and cold drinks, as well as snacks, magazines and newspapers.  Platform 1 also has an ''L.A. Golden Bean'' kiosk, which sells hot & cold drinks and snacks.

==Operations==
===Accidents and incidents===
*On 25 August 1866, a passenger train derailed near Ely due to defective track. One person was killed and five were seriously injured.<ref name=BoT1886>{{cite web |url=http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/BoT_Ely1866.pdf |title=Great Eastern Railway |publisher=Board of Trade |date=11 September 1866 |access-date=14 August 2017}}</ref>
*On 1 June 1870, a passenger train was derailed near Ely. Some passengers sustained minor injuries.<ref name=BNP070670>{{cite news |title=Railway Accident near Ely |newspaper=Bury and Norwich Post, and Suffolk Herald |location=Bury St. Edmunds |page=7 |issue=4589}}</ref>
*On 2 April 1874, two freight trains collided at Ely.<ref name=BO030474>{{cite news |title=Railway Accidents |newspaper=The Bradford Observer |location=Bradford |issue=3514}}</ref>
*On 16 January 1890, a train from [[Newmarket Warren Hill railway station|Newmarket]] ran into the rear of a freight train near Ely.<ref name=YH180190>{{cite news |title=Railway Accident Near Ely  |newspaper=The Yorkshire Herald, and The York Herald |location=York |issue=12053}}</ref>
*On 26 September 1905, a freight train derailed at Dock Junction, fouling the adjacent line. A passenger train collided with derailed wagons. Four passengers were injured, one seriously.<ref name=BoT1905>{{cite web |url=http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/BoT_Ely1905.pdf |title=Great Eastern Railway |publisher=Board of Trade |date=30 September 1905 |access-date=14 August 2017}}</ref><!--Accident On 9 February 1926 needs researching-->
*On 22 June 2007, a goods train derailed at [[Hawk Bridge]] which carries the Ipswich line over the [[River Great Ouse]] a mile south of Ely. Photographs showed derailed wagons on their side, only prevented from plunging off the embankment by subsidiary structures and their attachment to the rest of the train. As a consequence of the derailment the bridge had to be rebuilt and there were no train services between Ely and [[Bury St. Edmunds]] until the works were completed on 21 December 2007.<ref name=RAIBEly2007>{{cite web |url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/547c9030e5274a42900001af/R022009_090127_Ely.pdf |title=Derailment at Ely Dock Junction, 22 June 2007 |publisher=Rail Accident Investigation Branch |access-date=14 August 2017}}</ref>
*On 14 August 2017, a freight train was derailed at Ely West Junction, near Queen Adelaide. The line between Ely and {{rws|Peterborough}} was closed until 21 August.<ref name=BBC40930762>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-cambridgeshire-40930762/a-derailed-freight-train-has-caused-chaos-on-services-across-the-east-of-england |title=A derailed freight train has caused chaos on services across the East of England. |work=BBC News |access-date=14 August 2017}}</ref><ref name=RAIBEly2017>{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/derailment-at-ely-west-junction-14-august-2017 |title=Derailment at Ely West Junction, 14 August 2017 |publisher=Rail Accident Investigation Branch |access-date=24 August 2017}}</ref>

===Engine shed===
Opened in 1847, the shed would have housed locomotives for some of the local all-stations services operating around Ely. A shed was employed from opening but this was replaced by a second structure in 1867.

This was a single road engine shed located on the up side, south of the station. The shed was a corrugated iron affair and a timber coaling stage allowed coaling of trains by hand. There was a turntable which was provided from opening and replaced by a 45-foot turntable in 1879 and, as loco designs got bigger, this in turn was replaced by a 55-foot turntable in 1912.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hawkins |first1=Chris |last2=Reeve |first2=George |title=Great Eastern Railway Engine Sheds Part 2 |date=1987 |publisher=Wild Swan |location=Didcot |isbn=0-906867-48-7 |pages=345–349}}</ref>

A short siding extended from the loco yard to a small dock on the river.

In July 1922, the allocation was:<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hawkins |first1=Chris |last2=Reeve |first2=George |title=Great Eastern Railway Engine Sheds Part 2 |date=1987 |publisher=Wild Swan |location=Didcot |isbn=0-906867-48-7 |page=377}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Class (LNER classification)!! Wheel Arrangement!! Number allocated 
|-
| D13|| 4-4-0 ||  3
|-
| D14 || 4-4-0 ||  1
|-
| J15 || 0-6-0|| 6
|-
| J69 || 0-6-0T  || 1
|-
|}
The D13/D14 class were employed on local passenger services, with some of the J15 0-6-0s which would have also worked freight trains. The J69 tank engine was employed to shunt the goods yard and station area.

It is unclear when the shed was demolished, but steam locomotives continued to use the site until the end of 1962. After that, an outbased Cambridge diesel shunter took care of shunting duties in the area until the early 1990s; when not in use, this was stabled in a short siding adjacent to the station.

===Signalling===
The list below shows the signal boxes operating in the Ely area when the area was controlled by manually operated by [[Railway semaphore signal|semaphore signals]]. The boxes are listed south to north.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wilson |first1=Bryan |title=The A- Z of Great Eastern stations - Ely |journal=Great Eastern Journal |date=April 1990 |volume=90 |page=11}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Name!! Remarks!! Closed 
|-
| Sutton Branch Junction|| Junction for St Ives Line and opened in 1866 with that line. After closure this the junction was worked by Ely Dock Junction  || 17 July 1932 
|-
| Ely Dock Junction ||Junction for Newmarket Line. The first box (50 levers) was located west of the line and this was replaced in 1928 on the opposite side. By 1932 this had 82 levers  || 23–25 April 1992
|-
| Ely South || Controlled the south end of Ely station ||  29 June 1985
|-
| Ely North || Ely Station North was opened in 1880 and was  a Great Eastern Railway Type 2 design built by Stevens & Sons. It opened fitted with a 37 lever Stevens & Sons Tappet frame which was extended to 41 levers (possibly in LNER days). ||  10 April 1992 - demolished on 27–29 April 1992.
|-
| Ely South Junction || This short-lived box controlled the south entrance to sidings that existed just south of Ely North Junction. These were used to reverse Norwich/King's Lynn line to March trains before the West Curve opened. The location also had a turntable for turning locomotives|| 1890 
|-
| Ely North Junction || The two boxes located at Ely North Junction were the busiest of the Ely boxes, controlling the triple junction and, from 1890, both ends of the West Curve which allowed trains to run direct between Norwich and Peterborough instead of reversing at Ely station. the first box was opened in 1874 and was a Saxby & Farmer/Great Eastern type 1 design of wooden construction. By the mid-1920s the box was supported by a brace and with the decision to build a new sugar beet factory on land to the east of the line, the LNER replaced the box with a new brick built box,(LNER Type 11a) which also controlled the entry to the sugar factory beet sidings. || April 1992 
|-
| Adelaide || 15 levers - located on the King's Lynn line by the B1382 level crossing. Control passed to Ely North Junction.  ||   3 November 1930
|-
| Ely West Junction || Opened 1890 to operate the connection from the March Line to the West Curve. Control passed to Ely North Junction.  ||  3 November 1930
|-
|}

[[File:Ely Station North (2322682526).jpg|thumb|Ely Station North signal box, level crossing and semaphore signals]]

The station area is currently (2020) controlled by Cambridge Power Signal Box.

==See also==
* [[Railways in Ely]]

== Notes ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons category-inline}}
{{TSGN and SE Stations|Fen=y|SN None=y|SE None=y}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110725212035/http://jfbell20.fotopages.com/?entry=1204526 Photographs of Derailment on Newmarket Bridge]
{{stn art lnk|ELY|CB74DJ}}
{{Coord|52|23|25|N|0|15|59|E|type:railwaystation_region:GB|display=title}}

{{Railway stations served by Abellio Greater Anglia}}
{{Railway stations served by East Midlands Railway}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ely Railway Station}}
[[Category:Ely, Cambridgeshire]]
[[Category:Railway stations in Cambridgeshire]]
[[Category:DfT Category D stations]]
[[Category:Former Great Eastern Railway stations]]
[[Category:Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1845]]
[[Category:Railway stations served by East Midlands Railway]]
[[Category:Railway stations served by CrossCountry]]
[[Category:Railway stations served by Govia Thameslink Railway]]
[[Category:Railway stations served by Greater Anglia]]