Cambridge football fans urged to avoid travelling by train for Ipswich match

August 22, 2022

Greater Anglia is strongly advising football fans attending the Ipswich Town v Cambridge United match at Portman Road in September to find an alternative way to travel.

Engineering work will take place between Bury St Edmunds and Ely/Cambridge on Saturday 10 September and although a very limited rail replacement bus service will run, there are not enough buses for the expected number of football fans.

Network Rail is replacing the switches (movable sections of track that direct trains along a specific route) and renewing the track at Chippenham junction (where the single line from Cambridge meets the line from Ely) over the weekend of 10 September as part of the wider Cambridge re-signalling project. As a result, trains are unable to run on that part of the network.

James Steward, Greater Anglia’s Area Customer Service Manager, said: “We are urging football fans to make other travel arrangements on 10 September. We are running an extremely limited rail replacement bus service and people who turn up risk being left behind.

“We have previously been able to support football matches and other large-scale local events, but on this occasion, we are very sorry, but it’s not possible.

“Engineering works are planned several months and sometimes even years in advance, and these works can’t be moved. We are sorry for the inconvenience caused.”

Ellie Burrows, Network Rail’s route director for Anglia, said: “The replacement of the track and switches at this important junction will help to improve reliability for passengers and freight trains as well as preparing the junction for the benefits that will be delivered by the re-signalling project. I am sorry for the disruption this work will cause.”

Customers are unable to travel via Norwich due to engineering work between Cambridge North and Thetford.

For more information about the Cambridge Re-signalling project, please visit Network Rail’s project webpage.