Hitchin Flyover: Difference between revisions
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{{Use British English|date=January 2018}} |
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The '''Hitchin Flyover''' is a [[grade-separated]] [[single track (rail)|single-track]] railway flyover on the [[Great Northern Route]] in [[Hitchin]], [[Hertfordshire]], [[England]], constructed between 2012 and 2013. It was built to increase the throughput at a congested flat ("[[at-grade intersection|at-grade]]") junction with the [[East Coast Main Line]] just north of {{stnlnk|Hitchin}}, which put severe constraints on capacity on both that line and the [[Cambridge Line]]. |
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{{Infobox bridge |
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| name = Hitchin Flyover |
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When referring to the at-grade and grade-separated sections of the junction, they are known as ''Hitchin Flat Junction'' and ''Hitchin Flyover'' respectively; however, the junction as a whole is actually called ''Cambridge Junction''. |
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| caption = The flyover at Hitchin, where trains towards Cambridge now pass above the East Coast Main Line, rather than crossing on the level. |
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| carries = Down Cambridge Flyover line |
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| crosses = [[East Coast Main Line]] |
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| named_for = [[Hitchin]] |
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| lanes = [[Single-track railway|Single track]] |
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| built = 2010 - 2012 |
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| begin = 2010 |
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| complete = 2013 |
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| opened = 2013 |
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}} |
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The '''Hitchin Flyover''' is a [[grade-separated]] [[single track (rail)|single-track]] railway viaduct near [[Hitchin]], [[Hertfordshire]], [[England]], which carries the ''Down Cambridge Flyover line''<ref name="DCF">{{cite web|url=http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/sectional%20appendix/london%20north%20eastern%20sectional%20appendix.pdf|publisher=[[Network Rail]]|date=Jan 2015|title=NR London North Eastern Sectional Appendix / LN125 Seq 001|accessdate=8 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205133159/http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/sectional%20appendix/london%20north%20eastern%20sectional%20appendix.pdf|archive-date=5 December 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> over the [[East Coast Main Line]]. Constructed between 2012 and 2013, it connects the westernmost track of the East Coast Main Line with the [[Cambridge line]]. The flyover was built to increase the throughput at ''Cambridge Junction'',<ref name="Cambridgejn_SA_Ref">{{cite web|url=http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/sectional%20appendix/london%20north%20eastern%20sectional%20appendix.pdf|publisher=[[Network Rail]]|date=Jan 2015|title=NR London North Eastern Sectional Appendix / LN101 Seq 010|accessdate=12 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205133159/http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/sectional%20appendix/london%20north%20eastern%20sectional%20appendix.pdf|archive-date=5 December 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> a congested [[Level junction|flat junction]], which put severe constraints on capacity on both lines. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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{{Hitchin Flat Junction}}Together with the [[Digswell Viaduct]] some ten miles to the south, the flat junction just north of {{stnlnk|Hitchin}} was a major [[traffic bottleneck|bottleneck]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://orr.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/5751/its_uleeds_app2.pdf|title=APPENDIX 2: Issues in defining and measuring railway capacity|date=13 February 2006|accessdate=28 February 2014|page=2|publisher=[[Office of Rail Regulation]]}}</ref> as northbound trains diverging from the [[East Coast Main Line]] towards Letchworth and thence to Cambridge had to cross one northbound (fast) line and two southbound (fast and slow) lines to access the [[Cambridge Line]]. Proposals as part of the original electrification work in the early 1970s<ref>{{cite web |
{{Hitchin Flat Junction}}Together with the [[Digswell Viaduct]] some ten miles to the south, the flat junction just north of {{stnlnk|Hitchin}} was a major [[traffic bottleneck|bottleneck]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://orr.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/5751/its_uleeds_app2.pdf|title=APPENDIX 2: Issues in defining and measuring railway capacity|date=13 February 2006|accessdate=28 February 2014|page=2|publisher=[[Office of Rail Regulation]]}}</ref> as northbound trains diverging from the [[East Coast Main Line]] towards Letchworth and thence to Cambridge had to cross one northbound (fast) line and two southbound (fast and slow) lines to access the [[Cambridge Line]]. Proposals as part of the original electrification work in the early 1970s<ref>{{cite web |
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| url = http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/BRE_GNElectric1973.pdf |
| url = http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/BRE_GNElectric1973.pdf |
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| author = |
| author = British Railways Board |
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| author-link = British Railways Board |
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| accessdate = 15 April 2010 |
| accessdate = 15 April 2010 |
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| title = Your New Electric Railway: The Great Northern Suburban Electrification |
| title = Your New Electric Railway: The Great Northern Suburban Electrification |
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{{cite web |
{{cite web |
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| url = http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/6397.aspx |
| url = http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/6397.aspx |
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| author = |
| author = Network Rail |
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| author-link = Network Rail |
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| accessdate = 28 February 2014 |
| accessdate = 28 February 2014 |
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| title = Hitchin Flyover |
| title = Hitchin Flyover |
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}} |
}} |
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</ref> |
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{{cite web |
{{cite web |
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| url = http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/network-rail-hitchin-cambridge-junction-decision-letter/Fdecisionletter.doc |
| url = http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/network-rail-hitchin-cambridge-junction-decision-letter/Fdecisionletter.doc |
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| title = NETWORK RAIL (HITCHIN (CAMBRIDGE JUNCTION)) ORDER MINDED VIEW LETTER |
| title = NETWORK RAIL (HITCHIN (CAMBRIDGE JUNCTION)) ORDER MINDED VIEW LETTER |
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| date = 20 October 2010}} |
| date = 20 October 2010}} |
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⚫ | </ref> to build a flyover was approved after a [[Planning Inspectorate]] report and [[public inquiry]] between 11 and 25 May 2010.<ref name="inquiry">{{cite web|url=http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/network-rail-hitchin-cambridge-junction-inspectors-report/inspectorsreport.pdf|publisher=[[Department for Transport (United Kingdom)]]|date=6 August 2010|last=Watson|first=J. P.|accessdate=28 February 2014|work=[[Planning Inspectorate]]|title=Network Rail (Hitchin (Cambridge Junction)) Order. Report to the Secretary of State for Transport}}</ref> |
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</ref> |
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⚫ | to build a flyover was approved after |
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Construction was completed in June 2013. Original plans were to build the embankment using aggregate trucked in from elsewhere,<ref name="minded_view_dft"/> but eventually it was decided to build up the embankment using chalk taken from the nearby |
Construction was completed in June 2013. Original plans were to build the embankment using aggregate trucked in from elsewhere,<ref name="minded_view_dft"/> but eventually it was decided to build up the embankment using chalk taken from the nearby Wilbury Hills, low-lying chalk hills forming part of the [[Chiltern Hills]], from less than {{convert|1|mi|km}} away, removing the need for lorry movements along public roads. The chalk was quarried from just beyond the ancient [[Icknield Way]], which at this point is a public [[bridlepath]] between [[Ickleford]] and [[Letchworth Garden City]], and the contractor was required to refill and replant the quarry afterwards.<ref name="inquiry"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.north-herts.gov.uk/aksnherts/images/att3975.doc|publisher=[[North Hertfordshire District Council]]|date=May 2012|title=Land north and east of Cadwell Lane and Wilbury Way and west of Stotfold Road, Hitchin (Hitchin Railway Curve)|accessdate=28 February 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thecomet.net/news/mixed_reviews_on_network_rail_s_plans_for_hitchin_rail_curve_project_1_1365962|title=Mixed Reviews on Network Rail's Plans for Hitchin Rail Curve Project|last=Burge|first=Laura|date=2 May 2012|accessdate=28 February 2014|publisher=[[The Comet (Hertfordshire newspaper)|The Comet]]}}</ref> |
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Since the embankment materials were locally sourced it also meant that the new embankment was effectively pre-seeded with poppies. This means the entire embankment is covered in red poppies during their flowering season giving the name to the location 'Poppy Bank'. |
Since the embankment materials were locally sourced it also meant that the new embankment was effectively pre-seeded with poppies. This means the entire embankment is covered in red poppies during their flowering season giving the name to the location 'Poppy Bank'. |
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==Design== |
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{{Hitchin Flyover & Cambridge Junction}} |
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The scheme, which can be used by passengers services and heavy freight, has created a new single-track line that diverges from the northbound slow line at ''Hitchin North Junction''<ref name="Hitchin_SA_Ref">{{cite web|url=http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/sectional%20appendix/london%20north%20eastern%20sectional%20appendix.pdf|publisher=[[Network Rail]]|date=June 2013|title=NR London North Eastern Sectional Appendix / LN126 Seq 001|accessdate=8 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205133159/http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/sectional%20appendix/london%20north%20eastern%20sectional%20appendix.pdf|archive-date=5 December 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> just beyond Hitchin station, using a short embankment section of the former [[Bedford to Hitchin Line]], a section of which was cleared of vegetation and made progressively higher, to form a short ramp. The track is carried over the [[East Coast Main Line]] on a newly constructed viaduct and onto a new embankment to join the present [[Cambridge Line]] at the newly created ''Hitchin East Junction'',<ref name="Hitchin_SA_Ref"/> closer to {{stnlnk|Letchworth}}. |
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Although this routing skirts around the flat junction in a curve that takes trains over a physically longer distance, it removes the need for them to dwell at Hitchin – sometimes for several minutes – awaiting a |
Although this routing skirts around the flat junction in a curve that takes trains over a physically longer distance, it removes the need for them to dwell at Hitchin – sometimes for several minutes – awaiting a path across the tracks of the main London–Peterborough route, thus decreasing the overall journey time to Cambridge in many instances. The scheme improves the punctuality and reliability of both the London–Cambridge and London–Peterborough routes, the latter because Peterborough-bound stopping trains are no longer delayed if running closely behind a Cambridge service being held at Hitchin waiting to cross the flat junction. |
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The flat junction remains in use, providing an alternative route from either the Down Fast or Down Slow line to the Cambridge line.<ref name="DCF"/> |
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In May 2013, shortly before the Flyover opened, [[Network Rail]] together with [[Garden House Hospice]], a local [[hospice]] charity, invited people of Hitchin and Letchworth to walk the line as their last chance to see it along the tracks before it opened for service.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.networkrail.co.uk/hitchin-flyover-walk-joining-instructions.pdf|title=Hitchin flyover walk joining instructions|date=12 April 2013|accessdate=13 March 2014|publisher=[[Network Rail]]}}</ref> |
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==Operation== |
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⚫ | On 26 June 2013, passenger services began to use the flyover, up to three services per day using it during regular service and driver training. The flyover came into full use in December 2013 with the introduction of the new timetable.<ref>{{cite press release |title= First passenger services start using Hitchin flyover |url= http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/about-us/media-centre/news/2013/first-passenger-services-start-using-hitchin-flyover/ |publisher=First Capital Connect |accessdate=28 June 2013 |
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{{More citations needed|section|date=September 2022}} |
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⚫ | On 26 June 2013, passenger services began to use the flyover, with up to three services per day using it during regular service and driver training. The flyover came into full use in December 2013 with the introduction of the new timetable.<ref>{{cite press release |title= First passenger services start using Hitchin flyover |url= http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/about-us/media-centre/news/2013/first-passenger-services-start-using-hitchin-flyover/ |publisher=First Capital Connect |accessdate=28 June 2013|date=26 June 2013}}</ref> |
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Trains to Letchworth and Cambridge are timetabled to take one minute longer than in the reverse direction. For example, trains from King's Cross to Cambridge which used to leave at XX.15 now leave at XX.14. |
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The flat junction still is used, though nowadays this is mainly due to lack of driver knowledge on the route. The route was designed so that all, even the heavy freight trains, can use the flyover. This was discussed with the project engineer at the time of opening. |
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By January 2015 the only form of traction not to have used the flyover was electric locomotives (regular services are [[electric multiple unit]]s); [[LNER Class A4 4488 Union of South Africa|''Union of South Africa'']] became the first steam locomotive on the flyover when it moved [[empty coaching stock]] to Cambridge in preparation for a tour to York. |
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{{cite web |
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| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-El_CMvS9f0&index=44&list=UUYYF0REvDcYgezypFIKiOhg |
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| author = [[Rail-net.co.uk]] |
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| accessdate = 18 January 2015 |
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| title = First steam hauled working over the Down Cambridge flyover and Poppy Bank |
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}}</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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<references/> |
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==External links== |
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[[Category:Rail junctions in England]] |
[[Category:Rail junctions in England]] |
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[[Category:Rail transport in Hertfordshire]] |
[[Category:Rail transport in Hertfordshire]] |
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[[Category:Railway viaducts in |
[[Category:Railway viaducts in Hertfordshire]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Hitchin]] |
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[[Category:Hitchin]] |
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[[Category:East Coast Main Line]] |
[[Category:East Coast Main Line]] |
Latest revision as of 10:54, 9 January 2024
Hitchin Flyover | |
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Coordinates | 51°58′12″N 0°15′49″W / 51.96993°N 0.26355°W |
Carries | Down Cambridge Flyover line |
Crosses | East Coast Main Line |
Named for | Hitchin |
Characteristics | |
No. of lanes | Single track |
History | |
Built | 2010 - 2012 |
Construction start | 2010 |
Construction end | 2013 |
Opened | 2013 |
Location | |
The Hitchin Flyover is a grade-separated single-track railway viaduct near Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England, which carries the Down Cambridge Flyover line[1] over the East Coast Main Line. Constructed between 2012 and 2013, it connects the westernmost track of the East Coast Main Line with the Cambridge line. The flyover was built to increase the throughput at Cambridge Junction,[2] a congested flat junction, which put severe constraints on capacity on both lines.
History
[edit]Cambridge Junction (until 2013) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Together with the Digswell Viaduct some ten miles to the south, the flat junction just north of Hitchin was a major bottleneck,[3] as northbound trains diverging from the East Coast Main Line towards Letchworth and thence to Cambridge had to cross one northbound (fast) line and two southbound (fast and slow) lines to access the Cambridge Line. Proposals as part of the original electrification work in the early 1970s[4] envisaged a new underpass here and land was set aside for its construction. However, budgetary constraints forced this part of the programme to be abandoned. The land stood empty for many years, but has since been used to provide new housing.
A new plan[5] and subsequent application for an order[6] to build a flyover was approved after a Planning Inspectorate report and public inquiry between 11 and 25 May 2010.[7]
Construction was completed in June 2013. Original plans were to build the embankment using aggregate trucked in from elsewhere,[6] but eventually it was decided to build up the embankment using chalk taken from the nearby Wilbury Hills, low-lying chalk hills forming part of the Chiltern Hills, from less than 1 mile (1.6 km) away, removing the need for lorry movements along public roads. The chalk was quarried from just beyond the ancient Icknield Way, which at this point is a public bridlepath between Ickleford and Letchworth Garden City, and the contractor was required to refill and replant the quarry afterwards.[7][8][9]
Since the embankment materials were locally sourced it also meant that the new embankment was effectively pre-seeded with poppies. This means the entire embankment is covered in red poppies during their flowering season giving the name to the location 'Poppy Bank'.
Design
[edit]Hitchin Flyover & Cambridge Junction | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The scheme, which can be used by passengers services and heavy freight, has created a new single-track line that diverges from the northbound slow line at Hitchin North Junction[10] just beyond Hitchin station, using a short embankment section of the former Bedford to Hitchin Line, a section of which was cleared of vegetation and made progressively higher, to form a short ramp. The track is carried over the East Coast Main Line on a newly constructed viaduct and onto a new embankment to join the present Cambridge Line at the newly created Hitchin East Junction,[10] closer to Letchworth.
Although this routing skirts around the flat junction in a curve that takes trains over a physically longer distance, it removes the need for them to dwell at Hitchin – sometimes for several minutes – awaiting a path across the tracks of the main London–Peterborough route, thus decreasing the overall journey time to Cambridge in many instances. The scheme improves the punctuality and reliability of both the London–Cambridge and London–Peterborough routes, the latter because Peterborough-bound stopping trains are no longer delayed if running closely behind a Cambridge service being held at Hitchin waiting to cross the flat junction.
The flat junction remains in use, providing an alternative route from either the Down Fast or Down Slow line to the Cambridge line.[1]
Operation
[edit]This section needs additional citations for verification. (September 2022) |
On 26 June 2013, passenger services began to use the flyover, with up to three services per day using it during regular service and driver training. The flyover came into full use in December 2013 with the introduction of the new timetable.[11]
Trains to Letchworth and Cambridge are timetabled to take one minute longer than in the reverse direction. For example, trains from King's Cross to Cambridge which used to leave at XX.15 now leave at XX.14.
By January 2015 the only form of traction not to have used the flyover was electric locomotives (regular services are electric multiple units); Union of South Africa became the first steam locomotive on the flyover when it moved empty coaching stock to Cambridge in preparation for a tour to York.
References
[edit]- ^ a b "NR London North Eastern Sectional Appendix / LN125 Seq 001" (PDF). Network Rail. January 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 December 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
- ^ "NR London North Eastern Sectional Appendix / LN101 Seq 010" (PDF). Network Rail. January 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 December 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
- ^ "APPENDIX 2: Issues in defining and measuring railway capacity" (PDF). Office of Rail Regulation. 13 February 2006. p. 2. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
- ^ British Railways Board. "Your New Electric Railway: The Great Northern Suburban Electrification" (PDF). Retrieved 15 April 2010.
- ^ Network Rail. "Hitchin Flyover". Retrieved 28 February 2014.
- ^ a b "NETWORK RAIL (HITCHIN (CAMBRIDGE JUNCTION)) ORDER MINDED VIEW LETTER". Department for Transport (United Kingdom). 20 October 2010. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
- ^ a b Watson, J. P. (6 August 2010). "Network Rail (Hitchin (Cambridge Junction)) Order. Report to the Secretary of State for Transport" (PDF). Planning Inspectorate. Department for Transport (United Kingdom). Retrieved 28 February 2014.
- ^ "Land north and east of Cadwell Lane and Wilbury Way and west of Stotfold Road, Hitchin (Hitchin Railway Curve)". North Hertfordshire District Council. May 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
- ^ Burge, Laura (2 May 2012). "Mixed Reviews on Network Rail's Plans for Hitchin Rail Curve Project". The Comet. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
- ^ a b "NR London North Eastern Sectional Appendix / LN126 Seq 001" (PDF). Network Rail. June 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 December 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
- ^ "First passenger services start using Hitchin flyover" (Press release). First Capital Connect. 26 June 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2013.