Network Rail has submitted a planning application to East Cambridgeshire District Council for permission to build a new station at Soham, on the Ely to Newmarket line.
The application seeks permission to build the station following the announcement in September 2019 for a £18.6 million funding package from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.
Reconnecting Soham to the rail network will provide residents and local businesses with better connections and support more investment as part of the Council’s vision for the wider area.
The application covers:
- Construction of a single 102 metre platform to accommodate four car train services including waiting shelters, lighting, information screens and a public address system;
- Installation of a stepped footbridge across the railway to connect to an existing public right of way, designed for any future installation of lifts for a potential second platform for any scheme;
- Construction of a drop off point and a car park to accommodate 50 vehicles and five spaces for blue badge holders, as well as lighting masts;
- Cycle parking and ticket vending machines on the station forecourt.
Subject to gaining the consent required, the construction for the station is currently planned to begin later this year and is expected to be completed in spring 2022.
Ellie Burrows, Network Rail’s route director for Anglia said: ‘I am excited that we are taking this next step to make Soham station a reality in partnership with the Combined Authority. Providing a new station will re-establish that relationship with the Soham community that was lost in the 1960s and I can’t wait to forge a new future together for the benefit of Soham.’