March in Cambridgeshire, England, United Kingdom — Northwestern Europe (the British Isles)
March Railway Station
Photographed by Ray Gurganus
1. March Railway Station Marker
Arrival of the Railway. 10th December 1846 Line opened to rail freight.
The original station was opened on the 14th January 1847. The track was operated by Eastern Counties Railway.
The route from Ely to Peterborough, originally designed to pass through Doddington, came through March because George Hudson wanted to build a connection to the coalfields of Yorkshire. It was known as the Wisbech, St Ives & Cambridge Junction Railway.
The route from Wisbech to March was opened on the 3rd May 1847.
The section from Cambridge to St Ives opened on the 17th August 1847.
The route from St Ives to March opened on the 1st March 1848.
A further line was built from Cambridge to Kings Lynn. March soon became an important junction.
In 1862 it became the Great Eastern Railway (GER).
In 1867 sidings were laid on Norwood Common (Now Whitemoor).
The March to Spalding line opened on the 1st April 1867, under the control of the Great Northern Railway (GNR).
On the 3rd July 1879 the Spalding Line and the March to St Ives section of the Cambridge to Wisbech line was vested in the GN&GE Joint
this page online
During the 1880s there was a large increase in the Town's population to provide the workforce for the ever expanding railway.
A new seven-platform station was constructed and opened on the 23rd November 1885 and the goods yards were expanded to handle the increase in traffic. 125th Anniversary on November 23rd 2010.
The railway grouping of 1923 saw both the Great Eastern and the Great Northern absorbed into the new London and North Eastern Railway (LNER).
Whitemoor marshalling yard. In 1929 a new marshalling yard was built for traffic travelling towards London and this was followed in 1931 by a similar yard for traffic in the opposite direction.
Whitemoor was used extensively during the Second World War, when large quantities of essential supplies were handled daily.
The Spalding line was closed in 1982 and has now been lifted. Whitemoor Prison was built over the northern section in 1991.
The Wisbech line, also known as "The Bramley Line" was closed in 2001 (it was closed to passengers in 1968). The eventual transfer of goods traffic to the roads meant that Whitemoor was closed in the early
Photographed by Ray Gurganus, May 7, 2026
2. March Railway Station
Network Rail has re-introduced a railway based industry on the remainder of the site. In May 2004 Whitemoor was re-opened as a regional infrastructure renewable hub for Network Rail.
In 2010, construction began on phase 2, the National Track Materials Recycling Centre. This is due to be completed and operational by summer 2011.
The site will process used ballast (washing and grading) and concrete sleepers (crushing and reusing as aggregate) and recycling track components and wooden sleepers.
Despite the contraction of the rail system March still has a fast and reliable rail service to anywhere on the network.
Erected by Friends of March Railway Station.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1846.
Location. 52° 33.616′ N, 0° 5.444′ E. Marker is in March, England, in Cambridgeshire. On the March Railway Station platform. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: March, England PE15 8SL, United Kingdom. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in East Anglia. Globally, it is on the Atlantic Ocean, in the North Atlantic Region, in Europe, in Atlantic Europe, on one of the British Isles, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Roman Empire.
Other nearby markers. At least 5 other markers are within 23 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: March War Memorial (approx. 1.1 kilometers away); March Riverside (approx. 1.2 kilometers away); The Stone Cross (approx. 2.1 kilometers away); Ely Cemetery (approx. 21.4 kilometers away); a different marker also named Ely Cemetery (approx. 21.5 kilometers away).
Credits. This page was last revised on October 16, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 15, 2026, by Ray Gurganus of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 5 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 15, 2026, by Ray Gurganus of Washington, District of Columbia. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
