Cambridgeshire Guided Busway

Monday 22 April 2024 (1026) – The Southern section of the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway links Cambridge Railway Station with the Trumpington Park & Ride site with a spur to serve the growing Cambridge Biomedical Campus and Addenbrooke’s Hospital. Following two unrelated off bus fatalities on the southern Busway in 2022, one involving a male cyclist and one involving a female pedestrian, the northbound track (running towards the city centre) was closed in early 2022 and remined so for two years whilst the County Council and the Health & Safety Executive decided a course of action (that is perhaps to say faffed about). Temporary safety fencing was put in place to separate the track from the adjacent footpath/cycle path/maintenance track. Instead of positioning the fencing on the latter it was decided to use the northbound Busway track hence why it was closed. During the period of closure buses and their frustrated passengers had to face long delays each morning on the way to the city using already busy roads. Permanent fencing was duly erected and the northbound track re-opened at Easter 2024. The new fencing features yellow opening gates for use in the event of evacuation/emergencies. Also part of the fencing are small openings to allow animals the same option. In this view taken from Hills Road bridge Stagecoach East 21309 (BF65 WKY), a Wright Eclipse bodied Volvo B8RLE new in December 2015, was working towards the Trumpington Park & Ride site.

Monday 22 April 2024 (1042) – The Southern section of the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway links Cambridge Railway Station with the Trumpington Park & Ride site with a spur to serve the growing Cambridge Biomedical Campus and Addenbrooke’s Hospital. Following two unrelated off bus fatalities on the southern Busway in 2022, one involving a male cyclist and one involving a female pedestrian, the northbound track (running towards the city centre) was closed in early 2022 and remined so for two years whilst the County Council and the Health & Safety Executive decided a course of action (that is perhaps to say faffed about). Temporary safety fencing was put in place to separate the track from the adjacent footpath/cycle path/maintenance track. Instead of positioning the fencing on the latter it was decided to use the northbound Busway track hence why it was closed. During the period of closure buses and their frustrated passengers had to face long delays each morning on the way to the city using already busy roads. Permanent fencing was duly erected and the northbound track re-opened at Easter 2024. The new fencing features yellow opening gates for use in the event of evacuation/emergencies. Also part of the fencing are small openings to allow animals the same option. In this view taken from Hills Road bridge Stagecoach East 21306 (BF65 WKV), a Wright Eclipse bodied Volvo B8RLE new in December 2015, was working towards the Trumpington Park & Ride site.

Monday 22 April 2024 (1013) – The Southern section of the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway links Cambridge Railway Station with the Trumpington Park & Ride site with a spur to serve the growing Cambridge Biomedical Campus and Addenbrooke’s Hospital. Following two unrelated off bus fatalities on the southern Busway in 2022, one involving a male cyclist and one involving a female pedestrian, the northbound track (running towards the city centre) was closed in early 2022 whilst the County Council and the Health & Safety Executive decided a course of action (that is perhaps to say faffed about). Temporary safety fencing was put in place to separate the track from the adjacent footpath/cycle path/maintenance track. Instead of positioning the fencing on the latter it was decided to use the northbound Busway track hence why it was closed and closed it was for two years re-opening at Easter 2024 after more permanent fencing had been installed. During the period of closure buses and their frustrated passengers had to face long delays each morning on the way to the city using already busy roads. Despite the new safety fence a 20 miles per hour speed limit has been imposed in both directions as seen from on board Whippet Coaches WG112 (UN14 BUS). The bus is a Mellor Sigma 12 electric single decker new in Sept 2023 (initially registered MX23 LCU) working the 1008 service U1 from Addenbrooke’s Hospital to the city centre, Eddington and Girton Corner (1054).

Monday 22 April 2024 (1015) – The Southern section of the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway links Cambridge Railway Station with the Trumpington Park & Ride site with a spur to serve the growing Cambridge Biomedical Campus and Addenbrooke’s Hospital. Following two unrelated off bus fatalities on the southern Busway in 2022, one involving a male cyclist and one involving a female pedestrian, the northbound track (running towards the city centre) was closed in early 2022 and remined so for two years whilst the County Council and the Health & Safety Executive decided a course of action (that is perhaps to say faffed about). Temporary safety fencing was put in place to separate the track from the adjacent footpath/cycle path/maintenance track. Instead of positioning the fencing on the latter it was decided to use the northbound Busway track hence why it was closed. During the period of closure buses and their frustrated passengers had to face long delays each morning on the way to the city using already busy roads. Permanent fencing was duly erected and the northbound track re-opened at Easter 2024. The new fencing features yellow opening gates for use in the event of evacuation/emergencies. Also part of the fencing are small openings to allow animals the same option. Part of the new fencing can be seen from on board Whippet Coaches WG112 (UN14 BUS). The bus is a Mellor Sigma 12 electric single decker new in Sept 2023 (initially registered MX23 LCU) working the 1008 service U1 from Addenbrooke’s Hospital to the city centre, Eddington and Girton Corner (1054).

Monday 22 April 2024 (1017) – Buses of Stagecoach East and Whippet Coaches operate on the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway. This photograph was taken from Whippet Coaches WG112 (UN14 BUS) as it reached the end of the Southern section of the Busway on the approach to Cambridge Railway Station. A 20 miles per hour speed restriction is imposed on the Busway itself but on the normal roadway between the end of the Busway tracks and the Railway Station this is reduced to 15mph where there is more pedestrian and cyclist activity. The Southern section of the Busway has two low bridges which restricts its use by single deckers only. The bridge ahead carries Hills Road over the Busway access road and the adjacent tracks of the Cambridge-London railway line. The Whippet bus is a Mellor Sigma 12 electric single decker new in Sept 2023 (initially registered MX23 LCU) working the 1008 service U1 from Addenbrooke’s Hospital to the city centre, Eddington and Girton Corner (1054). Approaching is Stagecoach East 21305 (BF65 WKU), a Wright Eclipse Urban bodied Volvo B8RLE new in December 2015, working the 0900 service A from St. Ives to the Trumpington Park & Ride site (due 1025 but arrived 10 minutes behind schedule).