Fen line

Fen line
Fen line
	First Capital Connect Class 365 Networker Express passing through Runcton Holme in 2012
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Network Rail
Locale	East of England
Termini	Cambridge; King's Lynn;
Stations	8
Service
Type	Heavy rail
System	National Rail
Operator(s)	Great Northern; Greater Anglia; CrossCountry
Rolling stock	Class 317; Class 387 "Electrostar"; Class 379 "Electrostar"; Class 170 "Turbostar"; Class 365 "Networker"
Technical
Line length	41 miles 47 chains (66.9 km)
Number of tracks	1-2
Character	Secondary\London & South-East
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	25 kV AC OHLE
Operating speed	90 mph (145 km/h) maximum
Route map
Route map
v; t; e; Fen line
	Legend
	96 mi 75 ch
	156.01 km
	Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway
	to Sutton Bridge & Melton Constable
	90 mi 70 ch
	146.25 km
	86 mi 8 ch
	138.56 km
	Downham & Stoke Ferry Railway
	to Stoke Ferry
	76 mi 0 ch
	122.31 km
	Breckland line
	to Norwich
	Ely–Peterborough line
	to Peterborough
	70 mi 30 ch
	113.26 km
	61 mi 1 ch
	98.19 km
	Cambridge & St Ives branch line
	to St Ives
	55 mi 52 ch
	89.56 km
	Cambridge line
	to Hitchin
	West Anglia Main Line
	to London Liverpool Street
	Mileage from London Liverpool Street

The Fen line is a railway line in the east of England that links Cambridge in the south to King's Lynn in the north. The line runs through Cambridgeshire and Norfolk and is so called because it passes through the Fens. It is 41 miles 47 chains (66.9 km) in length and has eight stations.

The line is part of the Network Rail Strategic Route 5 and comprises SRS 05.06 and part of 05.05. It is classified as a secondary line except between Cambridge and Ely where it is classified as a London and South East commuter line.^[2]

Services

Great Northern

Great Northern operate through services to London King's Cross (via the Cambridge line). These services operate non-stop between London and Cambridge for most of the day, as part of the half-hourly "Cambridge Express" service. One train an hour is extended beyond Cambridge to serve all stations to King's Lynn, whilst the alternative services run to Ely.

These services are mostly operated by Class 387 electric multiple units. Before May 2017, Class 365s were the principal units.

Three Class 365 EMUs received names associated with the line:

The Fenman (365 518) – previously a "named train" that used to operate on this line, consisting of locomotive-hauled InterCity (British Rail) trains;
Robert Stripe Passengers' Champion (365 527) was named on 10 March 2006, after the 21st Anniversary of the Fen Line Users Association;
Nelson's County (365 531) had a special livery applied to the outside which shows various scenes of West Norfolk however this was removed when Great Northern took over First Capital Connect.

Greater Anglia

Greater Anglia regularly runs services between Cambridge and Norwich on an hourly basis via the Breckland line, running non-stop between Ely and Cambridge. Class 170 units are typically used for this service.

In addition to this, Greater Anglia operate a few direct services between London Liverpool Street and King's Lynn or Ely (via the West Anglia Main Line). These services operate only run during the morning and evening peaks, and use Class 317 and Class 379^[1] units.

CrossCountry

The section between Cambridge and Ely is also used non-stop by CrossCountry services to Stansted Airport. (and onward to Birmingham New Street via Peterborough)

Signalling

The line is double tracked except between Littleport and Downham Market and between Watlington and King's Lynn where it is bi-directionally signalled single track. In the Down direction, the entrance to the single line sections is protected additionally by SPAD indicators.

Signal boxes controlling the line are;

Cambridge power box
Littleport
Downham Market
Magdalen Road (Watlington)
King's Lynn

The signalling system is Track circuit block with multiple aspect colour light signals- with the exception of:

one semaphore signal at King's Lynn^[4] which controls entry to the One Train In Section freight-only line from King's Lynn to Middleton Towers
two semaphore shunt signals at Downham Market station

Infrastructure

Traction current for electric trains is provided by 25 kV AC OHLE controlled by Romford Electrical Control Room.^[5] There are Neutral Sections at Shepreth Branch junction, Milton Fen and just north of Littleport bypass. The line has a loading gauge of W8 except for the section connecting the Ipswich–Ely line to the Ely–Peterborough line, which is W10.^[2]

Passenger volume

These are the statistics of the numbers of passengers on the line from the year beginning April 2002 to the year beginning April 2017. Comparing each station between the first and last years (14 years total), King's Lynn has increased by 68%, Watlington by 133%, Downham Market by 111%, Littleport by 157%, Ely by 113%, Waterbeach by 149% and Cambridge by 109%.^[6] Cambridge North did not open at the publication of these previous figures.

Station usage
Station name	2002–03	2004–05	2005–06	2006–07	2007–08	2008–09	2009–10	2010–11	2011–12	2012–13	2013–14	2014–15	2015–16	2016–17	2017–18	2018–19	2019–20	2020–21	2021–22	2022–23
King's Lynn	593,675	641,668	622,034	656,624	680,230	739,282	750,738	821,772	869,006	879,836	913,460	970,890	973,660	998,316
Watlington	64,091	85,231	85,423	91,250	100,665	111,612	107,956	113,898	129,146	137,874	131,742	143,904	148,928	144,114
Downham Market	248,368	277,744	276,900	307,013	361,433	365,612	360,032	406,690	432,014	452,674	460,060	491,744	500,442	523,846
Littleport	94,363	119,198	122,655	146,218	148,836	156,124	149,428	178,254	199,804	206,596	225,024	238,062	229,628	242,814
Ely	1,038,708	1,255,362	1,278,724	1,420,734	1,505,730	1,583,246	1,579,948	1,731,956	1,824,036	1,878,426	1,976,150	2,068,240	2,131,818	2,209,350
Waterbeach	176,639	197,594	213,500	227,281	250,039	277,470	266,020	301,376	312,216	335,660	344,726	381,202	420,730	440,142
Cambridge North	n\a	n\a	n\a	n\a	n\a	n\a	n\a	n\a	n\a	n\a	n\a	n\a	n\a	n\a
Cambridge	5,478,112	6,060,475	6,137,423	6,522,309	6,997,887	7,571,838	7,661,146	8,245,416	8,823,236	9,168,938	9,824,910	10,420,178	10,954,212	11,424,902
The annual passenger usage is based on sales of tickets in stated financial years from Office of Rail and Road estimates of station usage. The statistics are for passengers arriving and departing from each station and cover twelve-month periods that start in April. Methodology may vary year on year. Usage from the periods 2019-20 and especially 2020-21 onwards have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic

References

^ ^a ^b Rail Magazine. 673: 37. 29 June – 12 July 2011. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Route 5 – West Anglia" (PDF). Network Rail. Retrieved 22 May 2009.
^ Network Rail (August 2006). East Anglia Route Sectional Appendix. Vol. Module EA. p. 109 LOR EA1162 Seq007. NR30018/02.
^ Network Rail (August 2006). East Anglia Route Sectional Appendix. Vol. Module EA. p. 110 LOR EA1270 Seq001. NR30018/02.
^ Network Rail (August 2006). East Anglia Route Sectional Appendix. Vol. Module EA. p. 110 LOR EA1161 Seq008. NR30018/02.
^ "Station Usage". Rail Statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Retrieved 2 September 2015.

External links

Media related to Fen Line at Wikimedia Commons

[ReferenceA-1] Rail Magazine. 673: 37. 29 June – 12 July 2011. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

[NRR5-2] "Route 5 – West Anglia" (PDF). Network Rail. Retrieved 22 May 2009.

[3] Network Rail (August 2006). East Anglia Route Sectional Appendix. Vol. Module EA. p. 109 LOR EA1162 Seq007. NR30018/02.

[4] Network Rail (August 2006). East Anglia Route Sectional Appendix. Vol. Module EA. p. 110 LOR EA1270 Seq001. NR30018/02.

[5] Network Rail (August 2006). East Anglia Route Sectional Appendix. Vol. Module EA. p. 110 LOR EA1161 Seq008. NR30018/02.

[ORR-6] "Station Usage". Rail Statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Retrieved 2 September 2015.

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