A contestant from the Great British Bake Off has hatched a plan to increase the passenger numbers at Britain’s quietest railway station with a Christmas Eve visit.
Shippea Hill station near Ely had only 12 entries and exits during 2015/16, according to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), the lowest number in the country.
Only one train - towards Norwich - serves the station on weekdays, but there is no return service.
On Saturdays it is possible to take a day trip to Cambridge from Shippea Hill, leaving at 7.25am and returning just over 12 hours later. There are no trains on Sundays.
Ian Cumming, who starred in the 2015 series of the hit TV show alongside Nadiya Hussain, is encouraging people to join him on a Christmas Eve trip to the station and he has promised a box of mince pies.
In a Twitter post he wrote: “I’m going there on the 7am from Cambridge and I’m going with a big box of mince pies to share with anyone who wants to join me to throw the stats for this unloved station.
“So don’t get stuck in last minute Christmas shopping - come out to a deserted spot in the middle of the fens.”
Ian will be catching the 7am train from Cambridge on Saturday, which stops in Ely, before arriving in Shippea Hill at 7.25am. The return train isn’t until 7.27pm and a return ticket costs £8.90.
He added: “The mince pies will make it worth it.”
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