This simulation covers the Fen Line between Waterbeach and King's Lynn, the Breckland Line between Ely and Wymondham, and the Ely to Peterborough line as far as Whittlesea.

Ely
DescriptionThe Fen Line, Breckland Line, and Ely to Peterborough Line
Country United Kingdom
Time period2022
Train Operating CompanyGreater Anglia, Great Northern, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway
Simulation difficulty6/10 stars
AuthorOxalin
WebsiteEly
Rolling Stock
Route map

Norwich
Wymondham
Mid Norfolk Railway
Wymondham Down Sidings
Spooner Row
Attleborough
Eccles Road
Harling Road
Thetford
Kings Lynn
Brandon Down Goods Loop
Kings Lynn Yard
Brandon
Watlington
Downham Market
Lakenheath
Littleport
Shippea Hill
Ely West Curve
Ely Freight Terminal
Manea
Ely
March Yard
Ely Loops
March
Ipswich
Wisbech
Whittlesea
Waterbeach
Peterborough
West Anglia Main Line

Ely acts as a major junction station between these lines, with all routes converging just north of the station. Additionally, the Ipswich to Ely line joins the Fen Line just south of Ely.

Timetable

A timetable for spring 2022 has been included, running from 04:00 until 03:59 the next morning (although few services operate overnight). The standard off-peak service frequencies are as follows:

Ely Services
Train Operating Company Origin Destination Frequency (tph)
Greater Anglia Peterborough Ipswich 0.5
Norwich Stansted Airport 1
East Midlands Railway Liverpool Lime Street 1
CrossCountry Birmingham New Street Stansted Airport 1
Great Northern London King's Cross Kings Lynn 1
Ely 1

Some additional services operate in peak hours (particularly to King's Lynn), and plenty of freight services operate to various destinations along the route throughout the day, as it acts as a major through route to Felxistowe and Harwich.

Operational Tips

Suggested platform allocations have been provided for Ely, due to the limited platform space and large number of services passing through or changing direction at this station. While it is not essential to follow this, it is recommended to in order to avoid conflicting movements over the junctions as much as possible.

A large portion of these routes use multiple speed limits - a higher limit for passenger multiple units and a lower limit for loco-hauled freight services. As this is not possible to replicate in ROS, only the higher speed limit has been included. As such, freight services often end up running early. Be careful not to route them ahead of passenger services which may get stuck behind them later on. Don't be afraid to use the passing loops to let a freight train wait for its correct schedule again!

Several level crossings are present along the Breckland Line. These add an additional challenge to the simulation, as trains can't be routed to far ahead in order to not block roads for too long. Try not to make the trains stop at red signals though!