Place Shepreth Station code STH DfT category F2 Number of platforms 2 | Grid reference TL392481 Managed by Great Northern 2011/12 82,422 | |
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Address Royston SG8 6QZ, United Kingdom Similar Meldreth railway station, Waterbeach railway station, Shelford railway station, Foxton railway station, Ashwell and Morden r | ||
Shepreth railway station serves the village of Shepreth in Cambridgeshire, England. The station is on the Cambridge Line between Royston & Shepreth Branch Junction, 8 miles (13 km) south west of Cambridge.
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History
It was opened in 1851 by the Royston and Hitchin Railway as the northern terminus of an extension of the original route from Royston, after earlier plans by the Eastern Counties Railway to build a Cambridge to Bedford line through the village fell through due to lack of finance. The ECR did complete the line north through to a junction with its main line from London to Cambridge in 1852 and initially ran services on the R&HR, but they later gave way to the Great Northern Railway when its lease of the Royston company expired in 1866. The GNR then began running through trains between Kings Cross & Cambridge over the line from 1 April that year, having gained full running powers over ECR metals and access to Cambridge station as part of an agreement ratified by parliament two years previously.
Goods traffic was handled at the station until 1965. From 1978, through trains to the capital temporarily ceased when electric operation was inaugurated to Royston as part of the Kings Cross Outer Suburban electrification scheme. Passengers then had to use a Cambridge to Royston DMU shuttle and change at the latter station for London. Government approval for extending the wires through to Cambridge was eventually granted in 1987 (as a 'fill-in' scheme to link wired routes either side) and the work was completed 12 months later, allowing through running to Kings Cross to resume.
Services
There is a generally an hourly stopping service to London Kings Cross southbound and Cambridge northbound, seven days a week. Service doubles to two trains per hour in each direction during weekday peak periods.