Cambridge station was opened in 1845 by the Eastern Counties Railway, as part of its line to London (originally terminating at Shoreditch, now to Liverpool Street). This is busy station used by over 6 million passengers a year, including commuters, tourists and, of course, students!
The station has a handsome building of brick with a series of arches across the façade, an is listed at Grade II. One of its most notable features is the long main platform, which for many years was arguably the longest in the UK (see below), at over 500 yards (470m), although it is actually used as two platforms, with crossovers in the middle, used by both northbound and southbound through trains. There are also terminating bay platforms at either end of the building.
Facilities include cafes, a newsagents, tourist information office, car parking and cycle storage, and the station has step-free access to all platforms. At the front is a taxi rank and bus stops.
Services to go to London King's Cross (via Royston) and London Liverpool Street, as well as Ely, Norwich, Ipswich, Peterborough (and thence to Leicester and Birmingham). The fast trains to King's Cross, advertised as the 'Cambridge Express', run every 30 minutes until early evening and take 45 minutes to/from London.
Note (for anoraks and pub quizzes): The longest platform in the UK is now at Gloucester. read more