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
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 (reason for decrease unclear)
2013/14 Decrease 12
History
1845 Opened (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 Regulation statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Shippea Hill is a railway station in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It was opened in 1845 as Mildenhall Road. In 1885, its name was changed to Burnt Fen, and finally in about 1904 to Shippea Hill.[1]

Shippea Hill is situated on the line between Ely and Norwich. According to 2003 Strategic Rail Authority figures, Shippea Hill was (and remains) one of the least-used railway stations in Great Britain with at one point just eleven passengers a year.[2] Passenger figures saw an increase on the 2004–05 report with 37 tickets being sold that either originated or exited the network at Shippea Hill. A surprising rally saw passenger usage increase seventyfold in 2007–2008 from the low of 2004.

Situated some distance away from any substantial settlement (although not many miles from Mildenhall), Shippea Hill station is named after the nearby Shippea Hill hamlet in Burnt Fen. The land on which Shippea Hill hamlet is located is one of the few areas within Burnt Fen which rises above sea level,[3] thus being a true, albeit very obtuse, hill.

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.

History

The station became infamous on 3 December 1976 when, at about 16.00, a passenger train collided with a lorry carrying carrots on an unmanned level crossing. The engine driver Robert (Bob) Hitcham was killed and eight passengers were injured.[4]

The wooden level crossing gates adjacent to Shippea Hill Railway Station used to be opened and closed manually by the Signaller in Shippea Hill signal box. In August 2012, the signal box was closed and the crossing was renewed with automated full barriers with red flashing road lights.

Shippea Hill station, new crossing and redundant signal box (Nov 2012)

Services

Shippea Hill is currently served by one train per day Monday-Friday and two trains per day on Saturday.

Eastbound services go to Norwich and operate at 07:23 Monday-Saturday. Westbound services go to Cambridge and operate at 19:28 on Saturday only.

All services stop on request only, and there is no Sunday Service.


Preceding station   National Rail   Following station
Abellio Greater Anglia
Monday-Saturday only

References

  1. ↑ City of Ely – Introduction | British History Online
  2. ↑ http://www.sra.gov.uk/pubs2/performance_statistics/stat_usage/stat_usage.exc
  3. ↑ OS map of Shippea Hill
  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