Shippea Hill railway station

Shippea Hill
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	37
2005/06	26
2006/07	606
2007/08	845
2008/09	868
2009/10	942
2010/11	812
2011/12	378
2012/13	50
2013/14	12
2014/15	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 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, with just 22 passenger entries/exits in 2014-15.^[1] This represented an increase on the prior year usage of 12 passengers.^[2]

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 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 carrying carrots on an unmanned level crossing at Shippea Hill. The engine driver, Robert (Bob) Hitcham, was killed and eight passengers were injured.^[4]

The wooden level crossing gates at Shippea Hill used to be opened and closed 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. http://www.sra.gov.uk/pubs2/performance_statistics/stat_usage/stat_usage.exc
2. "Revealed: Britain's busiest and quietest stations". BBC News. BBC. 15 December 2015. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
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

• Train times and station information for Shippea Hill railway station from National Rail

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

Preceding station		National Rail		Following station
Ely		Abellio Greater Anglia Breckland Line		Lakenheath