HS2

Andrew Gwilt   04/01/2017 at 15:50

The new Cambridge North station is looking amazing. Hopefully it should be opened in late February or in mid March.

OW   05/01/2017 at 09:02

Or in May, as it says in the article?

John Grant   09/01/2017 at 10:27

It'll require major changes to the timetable; GTR held a consultation over the autumn, but it only included numbers of trains per hour during and between the peaks, no details of the service patterns and nothing about the evenings, so it's unlikely services could start before the new timetable in May.

Jerry Alderson   09/01/2017 at 12:23

As someone who lives a kilometre away, I assure you that there is absolutely no intention of starting any services prior to Sunday 21st May 2017. The full service will only commence in the second year. My two personal bêtes noires about this station are that the canopies will only cover two of the 12 carriages, and the minimal toilet provision. I have other criticisms but there is some justificaiton for what is being delivered, unllke the canopies and toilets where it is just cost saving and lack of understanding of passenger needs. Originally there were plans to have two conventional glass-window ticket offices but the second planning applications replaced it with an area for roving station hosts to be based. I am very pleased by this change as I am a huge supporter of station hosts provding face-to-face help passengers in multiple ways where the help is needed rather than staff chained to a desk behind a glass window that makes communication difficult.

Susan Jourdain   09/01/2017 at 12:39

Will there be more than 4 'kiss and ride' spaces for evening and is the bus turning circle big enough for the longer buses ?

Jerry Alderson   09/01/2017 at 12:44

I forgot to say that I chatted to Helen Warnock about the canopies and toilets in November. For both funding and planning application reasons there is no possibility of any scope increase (i.e. improvements in quality) for the opening. Station enhancements would have to be sponsored by Greater Anglia in the future. Therefore also remains the issue of insufficient capacity to turn around more than two trains an hour - something that has made the TOCs' lives difficult. Another passenger issue is the inablity to stop King's Lynn trains at both Cambridge North and Waterbeach because of the single-track section from Littleport to Downham Market, not helped by the current (i.e. since 1992) layout of Ely North junction.