Berney Arms railway station

Main article: List of least used train stations of Great Britain

On 1 December 2020, Berney Arms was announced as the least used station in Great Britain for the 2019/20 period (between April 2019 and March 2020), with only 42 people using the station. ^{[10] [11]} The low numbers were largely due to the station being closed for major signalling works along the line for much of the 2019/20 period, but were also caused by the local pub being closed down. This is also one of the main reasons that passenger numbers had been falling dramatically since the 2016/17 period. ^[10]

However, the station was used by 348 passengers in the year to March 2021; the greatest yearly rise for any station in the UK. ^[11]

Locality

The station is located around 600 metres (0.37 mi) from the River Yare in an area of exposed grazing marsh. The surrounding marshland is managed as the RSPB Berney Marshes reserve and is adjacent to Breydon Water, a major site for wildfowl. Berney Arms Windmill, owned by English Heritage, is located on the Yare near to the station, as is the Berney Arms public house (currently closed). ^[12] The Weavers' Way and Wherryman's Way long-distance footpaths both pass near the station.

Services

Berney Arms station without shelter

The station on a busier day: 64 passengers embark on a Class 156 train for Norwich as part of a Rail Ale Ramble in 2009

The line is on part of the Wherry Lines currently operated by Greater Anglia. Services are formed by Class 755s. The station is a stop for two trains per day to Norwich and two to Great Yarmouth; the service is increased on Sundays to four trains in each direction. Service frequencies generally increase slightly during the summer period, to three trains in each direction per day and five in each direction at the weekend. ^{[13] [14]} During the winter months up until the end of March, the last train from Great Yarmouth to Norwich does not stop at Berney Arms. This is because of the lack of light at the station and its surrounding area. After the clocks go forward, the last trains are timetabled to stop again (17:54 Mondays to Saturdays, 16:24 Sundays).

In October 2018 the line between Great Yarmouth and Reedham was closed for a major upgrade of the signalling system, as part of works on all the Wherry Lines. While the line was closed the station remained open, although no replacement service was available due to the remote location. Its reopening was delayed until February 2020, ^[15] with the station reopening on 24 February 2020. ^[16]

References

1. Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN   978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC   60251199. OL   11956311M.
2. "Berney Arms (BYA)". National Rail Enquiries. Archived from the original on 2 August 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
3. "Getting to Berney Arms". Berney Arms Station adopter. 2010. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
4. "Berney Arms Station". Berney Arms Station adopter. 2010. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
5. "Berney Arms Railway Station". Berney Arms Web. Archived from the original on 4 May 2009. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
6. McKie, D. (11 July 2010). "The rail to nowhere". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
7. C.J. Allen ^{[ full citation needed ]}
8. Allen, C.J. Great Eastern. p. 46.^{[ full citation needed ]}
9. Post Office Circular. 12 April 1967.{{cite magazine}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)^{[ full citation needed ]}
10. Lawrence-Jones, Charlie (27 August 2021). "Eerie train station 2.5 hours from London that only 42 people used last year". MyLondon. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
11. "Berney Arms: Quietest rail stop sees eight-fold passenger rise". BBC News. 25 November 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
12. "Home page". Berney Arms Web. Archived from the original on 5 December 2006. Retrieved 9 November 2018. The current situation with the pub is that it remains closed until further notice, but local efforts to purchase, restore to a working pub are slowly being looked at. The planning authority (The Broads Authority) have refused an application for it to be converted to a dwelling.
13. Norwich to Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft. Greater Anglia. December 2013.^{[ full citation needed ]}
14. Route Details for any journey from or to Berney Arms, accessible through "(home)". National Rail Enquiries. Archived from the original on 25 February 2011.^{[ full citation needed ]}
15. "Norwich, Yarmouth, Lowestoft re-signalling". Network Rail. Archived from the original on 16 March 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
16. "Trains temporarily suspended from station - hours after line reopens following 18 month closure". Eastern Daily Press. Archant. 24 February 2020. Archived from the original on 24 February 2020. Retrieved 24 February 2020.

Note

1. Significant decrease due to the station being closed for a large portion of this period.

Further reading

• "Unlikely Survival". The Railway Magazine: 132–133. April 1984.
• "Trains stop only on request: Berney Arms". Hidden Europe Magazine (11): 10–11. November 2006.

External links

52°35′24″N1°37′51″E / 52.59000°N 1.63083°E / 52.59000; 1.63083

• Train times and station information for Berney Arms railway station from National Rail

Berney Arms
Berney Arms railway station in 2004
General information
Location	Berney Arms, Broadland England
Grid reference	TG460053
Managed by	Greater Anglia
Platforms	1
Other information
Station code	BYA
Classification	DfT category F2
History
Original company	Yarmouth and Norwich Railway [1] [ page needed ] Eastern Counties Railway
Pre-grouping	Great Eastern Railway
Post-grouping	London and North Eastern Railway
Key dates
1 May 1844	Opened [1]
Passengers
2017/18	966

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Reedham		Greater Anglia Wherry Lines		Great Yarmouth