Three Level Crossings on the Same Stretch of Road - Queen Adelaide Level Crossings, Cambridgeshire

Date filmed: 28/07/2020

This is Queen Adelaide, just to the north east of Ely. There are three half barrier level crossings within only half a mile of each other on the same stretch of road here, making this the only place in the UK to have three different level crossings so close together, with two directly opposite of each other (something that can only be seen in a handful of UK locations) and another located just to the east of a humped bridge over the River Great Ouse, which can disrupt your view of the level crossings on the other side of it. This video aims to show you what it's like at this location, as well as show you each individual level crossing in operation with different trains passing over them. Apologies about the wind noise.

All three level crossings are fairly identical in terms of set-up, and they all have LED wigwags and quiet alarms. They are located just to the north of Ely North Junction, where three lines each branch off towards different destinations from the single very busy bi-directional line connecting it with Ely Station, meaning that there's one level crossing for each line. From here, trains head to or from Peterborough, King's Lynn, or Norwich. A freight loop just to the west of here which joins the Ely to Peterborough Line does not have a level crossing, and instead, the road crosses it via another bridge around a quarter of a mile west of the westernmost level crossing.

Level crossing descriptions from west to east are as follows:

Queen Adelaide (Peterborough Line) Level Crossing, Queen Adelaide, Cambridgeshire

Route: Ely to Peterborough Line
Between Ely North Junction and Ely West Junction

Location: B1382 Ely Road, Queen Adelaide
Trains:
Lowering 1: Class 170s (Cross Country)
Lowering 2: Class 66 (DB Cargo UK) "Maritime Intermodal Four"

The westernmost level crossing of the three has a rather odd-sounding high-pitched alarm as can be heard. This is the busiest of the three on the busy Ely to Peterborough Line.
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Queen Adelaide (King's Lynn Line) Level Crossing, Queen Adelaide, Cambridgeshire

Route: The Fen Line
Between Ely North Junction and Littleport Station

Location: B1382 Ely Road, Queen Adelaide
Trains: Class 387 (Great Northern)

This is the middle level crossing of the three, and it's the least-used in terms of trains, and lowers only two times an hour most of the time, as to allow the hourly service to and from King's Lynn to pass.
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Queen Adelaide (Norwich Line) Level Crossing, Queen Adelaide, Cambridgeshire

Route: The Breckland Line (Ely to Norwich)
Between Ely North Junction and Shippea Hill Stations

Location: B1382, Queen Adelaide
Trains: Class 755 (Greater Anglia)

This is the most angled level crossing of the three, since the road crosses the Ely to Norwich Line at quite an angle. This is also the easternmost level crossing of the three, and the one which is visibly separated from the other two by the humped bridge over the River Great Ouse. It typically sees around four trains per hour.

If you have any relevant and appropriate questions, feel free to put them in the comments!

Thanks for watching!