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Peterborough
General information
Location	Peterborough,City of Peterborough,Cambridgeshire England
Coordinates	52°34′29″N0°15′01″W / 52.5748°N 0.2502°W /52.5748; -0.2502
Grid reference	TL186988
Managed by	London North Eastern Railway
Platforms	7
Tracks	9
Other information
Station code	PBO
Classification	DfT category B
Key dates
August 1850	Opened
Passengers
2019/20	4.935 million
Interchange	0.913 million
2020/21	1.089 million
Interchange	0.145 million
2021/22	3.720 million
Interchange	0.548 million
2022/23	4.519 million
Interchange	0.773 million
2023/24	4.721 million
Interchange	0.870 million
Location
Notes Passenger statistics from theOffice of Rail and Road

Peterborough railway station serves the cathedral city ofPeterborough,Cambridgeshire, England. It is sited 76 miles 29 chains (122.9 km) north ofLondon King's Cross. The station is a major interchange serving both the north–southEast Coast Main Line, as well as long-distance and local east–west services. The station is managed byLondon North Eastern Railway. Ticket gates came into use at the station in 2012.

v t e London North Eastern Railway
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v t e Peterborough stations
Legend
Great Northern Railway toGrantham Birmingham–Peterborough line Helpston Peterborough–Lincoln line Werrington Junction Walton Midland & Great Northern Joint Rly toWisbech North Wisbech Junction Westwood Junction New England sidings Peterborough North (GNR) Peterborough Crescent River Nene Peterborough Nene Valley Ely line viaPeterborough East Fletton Junction Longville Junction formerNorthampton & Peterboro' Rly (Nene Valley Railway) Great Northern Railway toLondon

There have been a number of railway stations in Peterborough:Peterborough East (1845–1966), the current station which opened in 1850 (previously known by various names including Peterborough North); and brieflyPeterborough Crescent (1858–1866).

Peterborough was the site of the firstmast to be installed as part of the ECMLelectrification project, which is located behind platform 1.

Peterborough East opened on 2 June 1845^[1] along with theEly to Peterborough Line built byEastern Counties Railway (ECR) and theNorthampton and Peterborough Railway built by theLondon and Birmingham Railway, both of which provided routes to London. TheSyston and Peterborough Railway byMidland Railway was opened in 1846. On 7 August 1862, the ECR became part of theGreat Eastern Railway (GER).^[2]

TheGreat Northern Railway (GNR) arrived in Peterborough with the opening of the major portion of its"loop line" between Peterborough,Spalding,Boston andLincoln, which opened on 17 October 1848; at first GNR trains used the ECR station at Peterborough East.^[3] During the construction of the GNR line south to London, it was decided that the GNR would need their own station at Peterborough; this was decided upon in December 1849,^[4] and opened on 7 August 1850^[1] together with the new line, which originally terminated atMaiden Lane, the permanent London terminus atKing's Cross not being ready until 14 October 1852.^[5] The GNR's Peterborough station is the current station, but it has had several names: originally simplyPeterborough, it later becamePeterborough Priestgate, thenPeterborough Cowgate in 1902, reverting toPeterborough in 1911.^[1]

On 1 January 1923 the GER and GNR became constituents of theLondon and North Eastern Railway (LNER), which found itself with two similarly named stations in Peterborough; to distinguish them, they were given new names on 1 July 1923: the ex-GER station becamePeterborough East, and the ex-GNR stationPeterborough North.^[1] After Peterborough East closed on 6 June 1966, Peterborough North once again becamePeterborough, the name by which it is still known.^[1]

The Great Northern Railway heading north toGrantham andDoncaster (the Towns Line) opened in 1853 using the GNR station. This line was built alongside the Midland Railway as far asHelpston, resulting in adjacent but separate level crossings at various places, including the Crescent level crossings in Peterborough city centre.

Interchange between Peterborough East and the GNR station was inconvenient,^[6] so on 1 February 1858 the Midland Railway opened Peterborough Crescent station,^[1] a short distance from the GNR station and close to the level crossing of the same name. Some GER trains were working through to the GNR Station by 1863.^[7] and the Crescent station closed on 1 August 1866^[1] when Midland Railway trains began using the GNR station instead.^[6]

TheMidland and Great Northern Joint Railway (M&GNR) branch toWisbech andSutton Bridge opened in 1866. To access this line trains headed north and diverged left at Westwood junction, then continued north adjacent to the Midland Railway line but gaining height, then curved east and bridged over the Midland line, the GNR line and Lincoln Road and headed off towardsEye Green along approximately the route of the currentA47 Soke Parkway.

Services toRugby (by theLondon and North Western Railway from Peterborough East) and toLeicester (by the GNR from their Station) started in 1879 when theLondon and North Western Railway (LNWR) built a line from Yarwell junction nearWansford andSeaton linking theNorthampton and Peterborough Railway and theRugby and Stamford Railway. Also the Fletton curve via Woodston toOrton Waterville by the GNR.

In 1913 the two troublesome Crescent level crossings were finally abolished when Crescent Bridge was opened.

Rail services from the station were at their peak in 1910, before economies were made duringWorld War I, most of which were never reversed.

The express services calling at Peterborough were mainly those between London andLeeds orYork, but there were also through coaches toGrimsby viaSpalding andBoston, toCromer via the M&GNR line, toSheffield Victoria andManchester London Road viaRetford and theGreat Central line, and toHull,Halifax,Blackburn,Harrogate andBradford viaDoncaster.

Bradford trains used a direct route either using the GNR line via Morley Top, or theLYR line via Thornhill.^[8]

Most trains between London andNewcastle, and further north, passed through Peterborough without stopping, so it was usually necessary to change at Doncaster or York.

In 1910, the GNR were still running trains toLeicester via Wansford and Seaton, in direct competition with theMidland Railway which ran viaStamford. The GNR route and times were competitive but in 1910 they offered only three trains compared to six by theMidland Railway, and they did not serve any significant population centres en route.

Services toNorthampton andRugby ran from theEast station.

Each of the pre 1923 companies had a locallocomotive shed:

• The first steam shed is the Great Eastern's 1846 shed, just to the east of its East station. It was a 4-road shed. The shed is now used by City Council offices, as part of theFletton Quays development.^[9]
• The Great Northern'sNew England shed had 9 engine roads.^[10] Construction of a newGB Railfreight depot, beside their New England House offices, began in November 2022^[11] and opened in 2023.^[12]
• The Midland Railway's 2-road Spital Bridge shed opened in 1872 and closed in February 1960.^[13] It had a 70 ft (21 m) high concretecoaling tower, which was demolished on 20 March 1960 to make way for offices, a workshop and stores.^[14][15] The steam sheds were replaced by a diesel fuelling point at Spital Bridge.^[16]
• The London and North Western Railway had a 6-road shed^[17][18] from 1885 to 1932, which is now the site of the Nene Valley station.^[19]

GNR service to Leicester ended in 1916 duringWorld War I. In March 1959 the line to Wisbech and to Sutton Bridge closed along with most of the rest of the M&GNR and local services on the GNR main line ended with a number of minor stations includingYaxley and Farcet andTallington being closed.

The Northampton and Peterborough Railway closed in May 1964, followed 2 years later by the closure of Peterborough East station and the passenger services to Rugby in June 1966 (part of this line was eventually reopened as theNene Valley Railway heritage line). In the same year several minor stations on the Birmingham line were closed includingHelpston andKetton & Collyweston.

The final closure came in October 1970 when the lines to Spalding, Boston and Grimsby were closed, although the Peterborough to Lincoln Line to Spalding was reopened on 7 June 1971 with a shuttle service of 3 trains each way per day. This service was improved in 1982 with the closure of theMarch to Spalding section of the formerGreat Northern and Great Eastern Joint Railway when theLincoln toCambridge service became theLincoln to Peterborough service.^[20][21]

In the 1970s major alterations occurred underBritish Rail to the former North station. In 1972 the track layout was remodelled, to provide high speed through lines and two new platforms. GNR bay platforms 4 and 5 (redundant since the withdrawal of East Lincolnshire line services) and through platform 6 were removed, together with all of the buildings between platforms 3 and 6, the new through lines scything through the site of the latter. New platforms 4 and 5, an island to the west of the fast lines, on the site of the former Midland Railway lines, were opened.

In 1976, the life-expired GNR booking hall and east side buildings were demolished, due to their condition, and were replaced by Portakabins. A contract was awarded to local company, Bernard Stokeley Ltd., to provide replacement buildings (which, with alterations, are those in use today) and these were opened a couple of years later.

Further new facilities were provided, post privatisation, as part ofGreat North Eastern Railway's £10 million station improvement programme to modernise facilities at key stations along the ECML. The modern travel centre is part of a £1 million upgrade which includes new passenger lounges on platforms 2 and 3 (since renumbered 1 and 2, following the closure of the original bay platform at the south end of the former platform 2), new toilet facilities on platforms 2 (now 1), 4 and 5, new customer information screens and improved security including the installation ofCCTV cameras within the station and car park.^{[citation needed]}

A further major remodeling occurred in 2013, when three new platforms were opened and the original platform 1 bay was removed. Original platforms 2 and 3 were renumbered 1 and 2. A new platform face on the southbound through line was opened and numbered 3, together with a new island platform to the west of the station, on the site of the former fly-ash sidings and reversible freight line, these being numbered 6 and 7. Both the passenger footbridge and the former parcels bridge at the north end of the station were extended to the new island, lifts being added to the passenger footbridge.

Network Rail spent a reported £2.5 million on Peterborough station and its surroundings, in a move that is intended to increase passenger capacity on trains and ease freight movements through the station. This upgrade has seen changes to the booking office and station concourse building along with the introduction of ticket gates. In addition some refurbishment work and changes have been made to the waiting rooms and other facilities on platform 4/5.^[22]

The station has a concourse and ticket office area which was internally redesigned and reopened in mid-2012. The concourse features both a newsagents and a cafe. For general assistance there is a customer information point located on platform 1 by the concourse, as well as customer service offices on platform 5 and near the toilets on platform 2. All platforms are accessible by means of a passenger footbridge with lifts and also by a ramp bridge at the north end of the station.

There is on site car parking. Within a few minutes walk is Peterborough city centre, and theQueensgate shopping centre. As of March 2013, there is an automated cycle hire scheme outside the south end of the station building.

There are regular services to and fromLondon King's Cross, operated byLondon North Eastern Railway and byGreat Northern, although Great Northern now only operates services in the weekday peaks. Southbound EC services run either non-stop to the capital or call only atStevenage: northbound destinations includeEdinburgh Waverley,Leeds,Lincoln Central, andNewcastle (though many Scottish services now run non-stop from London toYork).^[23]

Great Northern trains start and terminate at Peterborough (weekday peak times only) and serve most intermediate stations southwards.^[24] This was a regular service in the past, but most of these off-peak weekday and Saturday services were incorporated into theThameslink network, largely between Peterborough andHorsham viaLondon St Pancras International andEast Croydon These run every 30 minutes. Some early morning and late evening weekday/Saturday trains terminate or start at Kings Cross.

CrossCountry regional services run hourly betweenBirmingham viaLeicester toCambridge andStansted Airport.

East Midlands Railway also operate hourly, betweenNorwich andLiverpool viaNottingham,Sheffield andManchester Piccadilly.^[25] EMR also operate local services to Spalding,Sleaford andLincoln on an approximately hourly frequency.^[26] Some of these trains are extended to/from Doncaster.

Greater Anglia operate a two-hourly service toIpswich via Ely andBury St Edmunds.^[27]

Sunday services run less frequently on the ECML, but run on similar frequencies on the regional routes. There are no through Thameslink trains to Horsham (these run to/from Kings Cross only) or local services to Spalding, Sleaford and Lincoln.

• Platform 1: Through platform, predominantly used by terminatingThameslink services from Horsham via St. Pancras International, as well as Great Northern (peak times only) andLondon North Eastern Railway services to King's Cross. TheEast Midlands Railway shuttle services to/from Spalding occasionally use this platform. Renumbered from 2 in December 2013. A south-facingbay platform, former Platform 1, was decommissioned & lifted in December 2013.
• Platform 2: An island through platform (formerly numbered 3), predominantly used by terminatingThameslink services from Horsham via St. Pancras International, as well as Great Northern (peak times only) and London North Eastern Railway services to King's Cross. It is also used by the hourly East Midlands Railway service toSpalding &Lincoln, typically operated byClass 170 DMUs.
• Platform 3: New through island platform alongside the up fast line, commissioned in December 2013. Used almost entirely by London North Eastern Railway fast services to London, though some Great Northern suburban trains also use it; non-stop southbound trains also pass through this platform.
• Down Fast: Through track between Platforms 3 and 4 for non-stop passenger services. These are used by northbound non-stop London North Eastern Railway,Hull Trains,Grand Central andLumo services.
• Platform 4: Through island platform, used predominantly by northbound London North Eastern Railway services toLeeds,Newcastle andEdinburgh Waverley. It is also used, albeit infrequently, by someEast Midlands train services.
• Platform 5: Through island platform, adjacent to platform 4, used predominantly for freight;East Midlands Railway betweenNorwich andLiverpool and northbound London North Eastern Railway services can be diverted to platform 5 if required.
  • Platforms 4 & 5 are used in the evening peak by terminating Great Northern services from King's Cross, so the stock can be taken to Nene Carriage Sidings, located to the south of the station.
• Platforms 6 & 7: These new platforms were commissioned over the Christmas break 2013,^[28] and are now used byCrossCountry services betweenStansted Airport/Cambridge viaEly andBirmingham New Street viaLeicester;East Midlands Railway services betweenNorwich andLiverpool; andGreater Anglia services toIpswich. No overhead line electrification.
  • Greater Anglia uses platform 6 only for services to Ipswich due to the current track layout.
• Two-Way Goods Line: bi-directional freight loop located beyond platform 7. This is frequently used by the many freight services that pass through Peterborough along with Platforms 4–7. Much freight is to/fromFelixstowe although other destinations are served.

Below are the routes that Peterborough is currently on, as well as those that it has been on in the past:

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
London King's Cross		London North Eastern Railway London-Edinburgh/Scotland		York or Newark Northgate
London King's Cross or Stevenage		London North Eastern Railway London-Leeds/West Yorkshire		Grantham or Doncaster
		London North Eastern Railway London-Edinburgh/York/Newcastle		Grantham,York or Newark Northgate
		London North Eastern Railway London-Newark/Doncaster/Hull/Peterborough		Grantham or Terminus
		London North Eastern Railway London-Lincoln (Limited Service)		Grantham or Newark Northgate
London King's Cross		Grand Central West Riding		Doncaster
		Grand Central North East		York
Huntingdon		Thameslink Thameslink (Peterborough to Horsham Line)		Terminus
		Great Northern Great Northern (Peterborough to King's Cross Line) Peak times and weekday evenings only
Stamford		CrossCountry Birmingham-Peterborough line		March
				Whittlesea Limited Service
Grantham		East Midlands Railway Liverpool-Norwich		Ely
				March Limited Service
				Whittlesea Limited Service
Stamford		East Midlands Railway Nottingham-Norwich (via Loughborough) Limited Service		March
Terminus		East Midlands Railway Peterborough-Lincoln Line Mondays-Saturdays only		Spalding
		Greater Anglia Ely to Peterborough Line		Whittlesea
Historical railways
Tallington Line open, station closed		Great Northern Railway East Coast Main Line		Yaxley and Farcet Line open, station closed
Peakirk Line open, station closed		Great Northern Railway Lincolnshire Loop Line		Terminus
Walton Line open, station closed		Midland Railway Syston and Peterborough Railway		Peterborough East Line open, station closed
Peterborough East Line open, station closed		Great Eastern Railway Ely to Peterborough Line		Terminus
Disused railways
Orton Waterville Line and station closed		London and North Western Railway To Leicester Belgrave Road		Terminus
Terminus		Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway Sutton Bridge line		Eye Green Line and station closed

• Peterborough East railway station
• Peterborough Nene Valley railway station andNene Valley Railway (preserved railway)
• Peterborough to Lincoln Line
• Birmingham to Peterborough Line
• Ely to Peterborough Line

• Butt, R.V.J. (1995).The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd.ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
• Waszak, Peter (September 1984).Peterborough. Rail Centres. Shepperton:Ian Allan.ISBN 0-7110-1389-6. CE/0984.

• Train times andstation information for Peterborough railway station fromNational Rail

Media related toPeterborough railway station at Wikimedia Commons

• Railway stations in Cambridgeshire
• DfT Category B stations
• Former Great Northern Railway stations
• Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1850
• Railway stations served by CrossCountry
• Railway stations served by Greater Anglia
• Railway stations served by East Midlands Railway
• Railway stations served by Govia Thameslink Railway
• Railway stations served by London North Eastern Railway
• Buildings and structures in Peterborough
• Transport in Peterborough
• Train driver depots in England
• 1850 establishments in England

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