Peterborough station is quite an important stop on the East Coast Mainline, often serving as the first stop for northbound express trains from King’s Cross, and the final stop for southbound express services into London. It is also the end/start point for commuter services in and out of London, and a number of regional services pass through here. It is a station that was recently redeveloped, and the current station is one of three to bear the name Peterborough.

Peterborough East was the first of these to open, on the 2nd of June 1845. The station existed on the Peterborough-Ely railway, which still more or less exists, though not in its original form. Once upon a time, the Peterborough-Ely route ran to Northampton, but this line closed in 1964, and Peterborough East closed on the 6th of June 1966. Traffic along the Ely-Peterborough line now routs to the main Peterborough station (once known as Peterborough North), which opened in August 1850. As was typical of the time, the two stations were built by two different companies, with different agendas, and the link between the two lines was probably deemed a reluctant necessity by both businesses.

The third station, Peterborough Crescent, was short-lived. It sat in-between East and North, and was only open from February 1858, to August 1866.

Peterborough station is busy. It’s location on the ECML makes it a nexus for passengers to change for various services. You can get express trains to London or to the north. You can get regional southbound services as far south as Horsham, and commuter trains run to Ely, Norwich, Birmingham, Liverpool, Stansted Airport, and Nottingham. It almost feels like nowhere is out of reach, if you go via Peterborough!

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