Shippea Hill railway station

Shippea Hill National Rail

Shippea Hill railway station in 2010
Location
Place Prickwillow
Local authority East Cambridgeshire
Grid reference TL641841
Operations
Station code SPP
Managed by Abellio Greater Anglia
Number of platforms 2
DfT category F2
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2004/05 Increase 37
2005/06 Decrease 26
2006/07 Increase 606
2007/08 Increase 845
2008/09 Increase 868
2009/10 Increase 942
2010/11 Decrease 812
2011/12 Decrease 378
2012/13 Decrease 50
2013/14 Decrease 12
2014/15 Increase 22
History
1845 Opened as Mildenhall Road
1885 Renamed Burnt Fen
1904 Renamed Shippea Hill
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Shippea Hill from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Shippea Hill railway station is on the Breckland Line in the east of England, serving the hamlets of Shippea Hill and Prickwillow, Cambridgeshire. The line runs between Cambridge in the west and Norwich in the east.

Shippea Hill is a request stop situated between Ely and Lakenheath stations, 77 miles 17 chains (124.3 km) down-line from London Liverpool Street via Ely, in one of the few areas within Burnt Fen which rises above sea level.

It is known for being one of the least-used railway stations in Britain. In 2013-14, just 12 passenger entries/exits were recorded, which made it the second least-used station in the country behind Teesside Airport (8 entries).[1] In 2014-15, patronage at Shippea Hill increased to 22, but despite this increase, it became the least-used station in Britain, as the number at Teesside Airport increased to 32.[2][1]

History

The station was opened in 1845 as Mildenhall Road. In 1885 its name was changed to Burnt Fen, and in about 1904 it adopted its current name, Shippea Hill.[3]

On 3 December 1976, at about 4 pm, a passenger train collided with a lorry on an unmanned level crossing at Shippea Hill. The train driver, Robert (Bob) Hitcham, was killed and eight of his passengers were injured.[4]

Despite not being within walking distance of any large settlement, most of the station's car park was closed and sold off after the privatisation of British Rail.

The wooden level crossing gates at Shippea Hill used to be operated manually by the signaller in the local signal box. In 2012, the signal box was closed and the crossing was renewed with automatic barriers and warning lights.

Services

Shippea Hill is a request stop, so passengers must signal to the conductor or driver if they wish to alight or board.

As of December 2015 the station is served by one train per day to Norwich, also calling at all intermediate stations except Lakenheath.

There is one train each Saturday to Cambridge, also calling at Ely.

There is no Sunday service.

References

  1. 1 2 "Revealed: Britain's busiest and quietest stations". BBC News. BBC. 15 December 2015. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  2. ↑ http://www.sra.gov.uk/pubs2/performance_statistics/stat_usage/stat_usage.exc
  3. ↑ City of Ely – Introduction | British History Online
  4. ↑ "Report on the Accident that occurred on 3rd December 1976 at Chivers Occupation Level Crossing (No. 1) between Lakenheath and Shippea Hill in the Eastern Region British Railways". The Railways Archive. Retrieved 2014-02-04.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shippea Hill railway station.

Coordinates: 52°25′48″N 0°24′47″E / 52.430°N 0.413°E / 52.430; 0.413

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Abellio Greater Anglia
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