Anglia Infrastructure The line shares the route between Ipswich and Haughley Junction with the Great Eastern Main Line which is classified as primary line. The section between Haughley Junction and Ely is classified as secondary line with the Cambridge branch being classified as rural. The line from Ipswich to Soham is double track with the remainder, plus the Cambridge branch, being single track (with a passing loop at ). Where the line is separate from the Great Eastern Main Line it is not electrified and has a line speed of between . It has a loading gauge of W10 between Ipswich and Ely with the Cambridge branch being W8. Passenger services The summer 2015 passenger services, both operated by Abellio Greater Anglia, are: Ipswich–Cambridge (hourly) Ipswich–Peterborough (two-hourly) Some services are extended to Harwich Parkeston Quay. Proposed developments The line between Soham and Ely will be doubled as part of the Felixstowe and Nuneaton freight capacity scheme. In January 2013, Network Rail released a five-year upgrade plan, which included reopening Soham station as part of improvements to the Ipswich–Ely line. This station was approved in 2020, and opened on 13 December 2021. It has long been envisaged that the Ipswich to Cambridge route would become part of the east–west rail scheme but it is unclear whether this will see double track laid throughout and through services from stations in the west of England such as Oxford operating. Reopening of Cherry Hinton and Fulbourn stations was proposed by Cambridgeshire County Council in May 2013 as part of an infrastructure plan to deal with projected population growth up to 2050. Incidents Thurston 1850 On 4 October 1850 the locomotive due to work the 8:00 am departure from Bury had to be withdrawn from service due to a technical failure. The stationmaster at Bury knew an engine would be sent from Ipswich to investigate the situation (this being normal practice in the days before telegraph communication between stations). To save time four horses were connected to the two-coach train to pull it along the line to meet the loco coming from Ipswich. To enable them to see the relief train at the earliest opportunity Bury Stationmaster Hartwell and a porter William Baldwin climbed on to the roof of the first carriage and they were joined at Thurston by stationmaster James Wolton. Just east of Thurston station the horse drawn train met the relief engine