Soham railway station

Soham station originally opened on 1 September 1879.[1]

On 2 June 1944, the station was destroyed in the Soham rail disaster, when a munitions train carrying high explosive bombs caught fire and blew up, killing two and damaging over seven hundred buildings. The driver, Benjamin Gimbert, and fireman, James Nightall, were both awarded the George Cross for preventing further damage which would have occurred if the rest of the train had exploded. 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]

Following many years of local campaigning, a new station was opened, on the same site, on 13 December 2021, with services operated by Greater Anglia.[3][4][5]

The station has a single 100-metre (330 ft) platform capable of accommodating a four-car train. A stepped footbridge spans across the railway to an existing right of way – as well as being future proofed for a potential second platform and lifts. The station also has a drop off and pick up point, cycle parking and a 50 space car park.[6][7]

Since closure a local campaign had run to reopen the station.[3][4] In February 2011 East Cambridgeshire District Council obtained funding for a study into a possible reopening.[8] 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.[9]

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,[10] funding was obtained from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) and Cambridgeshire County Council to progress the next stage of design work with Network Rail.[11][12]

Enabling works for the new station by Network Rail[13][14][15] started in autumn 2020, and main construction started in March 2021.[16] The station was opened in December 2021.[5]

There are no current plans for direct services to Cambridge (which would require reinstatement of the Warren Hill Junction / Snailwell Junction chord), but former Mayor James Palmer expressed support for the idea in a future phase of the project.[15] The CPCA has stated that the opening of Soham station will greatly improve the case for reinstating the chord.[16]

There is a heavy service of freight trains on the route, principally between Felixstowe Docks and the midlands. A passenger train service operates on the line every two hours between Ipswich and Peterborough.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Ely		Greater Anglia Peterborough – Ipswich		Kennett
	Historical railways
Ely Line and station open		Great Eastern Railway Ely and Newmarket Railway		Fordham Line open, station closed

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

• Train times and station information for Soham railway station from National Rail