Driver Paul Livings (pictured above) has beaten the record for a train travelling between London and Cambridge.
Mr Livings shaved four seconds off the journey time completing the trip in 48 minutes and 13 seconds. The previous record had been set by a Class 86 in the 1980s.
The record breaking run formed part of a ceremony by National Express to launch the new 379s into service on the London-Cambridge and Stansted Airport routes. A delighted Cambridge Mayor, Ian Nimmo-Smith named the train ‘City of Cambridge.’
Although the station is one mile away from the actual city centre it is now among the busiest in the east of England generating 8 million passenger journeys a year.
166 years ago university authorities initially resisted the railway and tried to block students from using it. Says the Mayor, ‘The worry was that students would find it easier to reach the flesh pots of London.’
However, thanks to Driver Livings and hard working colleagues at ‘Litchurch Lane’ the new fleet can whisk students and local people down to London in less than an hour. Plenty of time for business travellers and party goers alike to reach the capital and get back in time for business the next morning.
Network Rail is currently expanding capacity at Cambridge with new lines, longer platforms and a new island platform.
As a regular commuter, I’m delighted that some new Class 379 Electrostars are being used on mainline services to Cambridge rather than being reserved, as originally intended, solely for the Stansted branch. However, many train times from London King’s Cross to Cambridge are already routinely 46-47 minutes – less than the new record of 48 mins 13 seconds on the overcrowded and more tortuous route from Liverpool Street to Cambridge!
Using quantum maths, I’ve calculated that squeezing past a standing passenger takes 1.4 seconds. So, while it might be possible for the train to arrive four seconds earlier, if there are more than three standing passengers, any advantage to the traveller would be wiped out. Applying the “flesh pots of London” factor to my calculations suggests that four standing passengers could be negotiated as quickly as three.