Better platform access for passengers at Littleport station

February 18, 2020

Passengers will start to see a benefit from the investment being made to introduce eight-car services on the Fen line between and King’s Lynn.

Station users at Littleport will have a much improved and safer route to/from Platform 1 to access southbound train services from Monday 24 February.

A new access ramp and staircase has been constructed to allow direct access to the platform from road level together with a dedicated route via an underpass at the south end of the station.

The changes to the station mean that the track crossing, currently the only access to Platform 1, can be permanently removed to allow platform extension work for Platform 2 to continue.

The longer Platform 2 will enable eight car train services to call at the station from December 2020, improving capacity for passengers travelling on the Fen line.

It’s part of the Kings Lynn Service Enhancement Scheme which is a £27m investment, funded by the Department for Transport, to increase a capacity on the busy route between Cambridge and King’s Lynn by allowing eight-car formations to call at intermediate stations.

At Littleport, Platform 2 is being extended to enable eight-car services to call at the station. Trains calling at Platform 1 will use selective door opening for the front four carriages only.

At work is taking place at the end of both platforms 1 and 2 to build platform extensions and move existing signals to accommodate the longer trains.

At King’s Lynn, a new siding is being constructed to provide the operational flexibility to allow the longer, eight-car trains to be in place for the first and last service of the day.

Natasha Thomas, ’s Senior Sponsor for Anglia said: “I’m really pleased that we are able to improve safety for passengers while delivering a significant piece of infrastructure work at Littleport.

“The removal of the track crossing will not only help us deliver the station improvements to enable eight car trains to call at the station, it will also mean we can remove the need for passengers to walk across the tracks by providing a safer route to Platform 1.”

Keith Jipps, Infrastructure Director at which runs Great Northern services through the station, said: “Our passengers will be pleased to see progress being made on this vital project with an early benefit of a safer route to Platform 1 at Littleport.”

Photo credit: Network Rail