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Railways around Peterborough & The National Rail Network & Heritage railways in the UK
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'Peterborough'
'2000-2013'
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National Express East Coast HST 43307 is at rear of a train going out of platform 4 at Peterborough railway station in 2008 heading North.
GNER 3303 on The White Rose just to north of Peterborough station in 2003
This GNER 3303 was on lease from Eurostar and had been repainted in GNER colours for the White Rose service between Kings Cross and Leeds. This set has now gone back to Eurostar.
GNER had the first Privatisation franchise in 1996 of the East Coast Main Line trains between London and Edinburgh and London and Leeds.
National Express East Coast took over from GNER in November 2007. This Franchise lasted only two years. National Express walked away in 2007
In November 2009 Directly Operated Railways took over with the name East Coast. This was a govement Department runing this Franchise.They made a good job of it, with most of same poeple running the trains.
In March 2015 Virgin East Coast took over from East Coast.
West Anglia Great Northern (WAGN) ran the Great Northern Local services from Kings Cross to Peter borough and Kings Cross to Cambridge and Kings Lynn from 1996. First Capital Connect took over fron WAGN. They also ran the Thameslink services from Bedford to London and the south Coast.
Great Northern has now took over from First Capital connect in 2014.
Hull Trains and Grand Central are open acess train operaters who have run passenger trains between 1999 and 2013 on the fast lines but without stopping at Peterborough.They would I am sure like to stop at Peterborough.
GBRf and Freighliner and EWS (now DB) have been the main freight operaters using Peterborough.
Central Trains ran the trains fom Liverpool to Norwich and Birmingham to Cambrige and Stanstead Airport. Also they ran the Peterborough Linclon services
Central trains was made into two parts East Midland trains and Cross Country.
Anglia trains ran services to Ipswich and Colchester. This was taken over by "One". Greater Anglia now run these trains.
More details of all these changes can be found in the pages on this site.
Between 2000 and 2013 there have been many chages to the look of the rolling stock as all these changes have took place. You could see three sets of colours on East Coast Trains with the 91 in one colour and the mark 4s in another and DVT in yet another. I only saw the Sky set once when the train was all blue.
One class 170202 in platform 5 at Peterborough in 2005
This service was being run by "One". One was a railway operating company. The name ONE was changed to National Express East Anglia.
East Coast HST class 43310 in platform 3 at Peterborough station on the 12th of December 2009
The 1970s new though lines and platforms
Platform four and 5 started being used on the 25 June 1972 ready for when the new though lines opened on the 2nd May 1973. Most ECML down trains to Leeds and Scotland use platform four
Platform 4 and 5 were and still is used by up and down Norwich Cambridge and Birmingham Nottingham and Liverpool trains.
Freight and passenger trains and light engines can also use platforms 4 both ways.
Platform Four is on the eastern edge of a island platform with Platform 5 is on the outer western edge.
The buildings on this island platform are of the style of architecture prevalent in the 1960's and 1970's bland and and insipid. But clean and just about fit for there use.
These two platforms are linked to the main station by a long foot bridge over the two fast lines. This footbridge was made longer when the new lines with platform 6 and 7 were put in,in 2014.
There is also a Post office bridge that was out of bounds in BR days, but is now used for push chairs and the yellow mobility truck that carries wheelchairs and old people over who can't use the stairs, as Peterborough station still had no lifts, right to up till 2014!.
Page updated 13/5/2020