General information | |||||
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Location | Brandon, Breckland England | ||||
Coordinates | 52°27′14″N0°37′27″E / 52.4539°N 0.6243°E | ||||
Grid reference | TL784872 | ||||
Managed by | Greater Anglia | ||||
Platforms | 2 | ||||
Other information | |||||
Station code | BND | ||||
Classification | DfT category F2 | ||||
History | |||||
Original company | Norfolk Railway | ||||
Pre-grouping | Eastern Counties Railway, Great Eastern Railway | ||||
Post-grouping | London and North Eastern Railway | ||||
Key dates | |||||
30 July 1845 | Opened as Brandon | ||||
1 July 1923 | Renamed Brandon (Norfolk) | ||||
1 March 1925 | Renamed Brandon | ||||
Passengers | |||||
2018/19 | 0.118 million | ||||
2019/20 | 0.112 million | ||||
2020/21 | 26,804 | ||||
2021/22 | 93,682 | ||||
2022/23 | 0.115 million | ||||
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Brandon railway station is on the Breckland Line in the East of England,serving the town of Brandon,Suffolk,although the station is actually situated across the county boundary in Norfolk. The line runs between Cambridge in the west and Norwich in the east.
Brandon is 86 miles 32 chains (139.0 km) from London Liverpool Street via Ely. It is managed by Greater Anglia,which operates most of the services. The station building was designed by the sculptor John Thomas and completed in 1845. The station is Grade II listed.
The bill for the Norwich &Brandon Railway (N&BR) received Royal Assent on 10 May 1844. [1] The line was to link with an Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) project of a line from Newport in Essex to Brandon in Norfolk. Once complete the line would enable trains to travel from Norwich to London. Work started on the line in 1844. [2]
One month before the N&BR opened a Bill authorising the amalgamation of the Yarmouth &Norwich Railway with the N&BR came into effect and so,the soon to open,Brandon station became a Norfolk Railway asset. [3] The station building was designed by the sculptor John Thomas,some of whose other rail stations are Grade II listed. To blend it with the local vernacular,Thomas designed it to be built with Brandon flint. [4]
The line opened on 30 July 1845 at the same time as the ECR's Brandon to Newport (Essex) line which served Cambridge and Ely. However,the line only got to Trowse,in the suburbs of Norwich,as the contractors were having to build a swing bridge to cross the navigable River Wensum. This was finished in December and on 15 December services started running through to Norwich. [5]
Generous provision was made for the maintenance of locomotives at Brandon with a six-road engine house being provided,although once the ECR took over the NR in 1848,the shed's role was diminished. Although it was reported in the Locomotive Magazine during 1901 that stabling was being undertaken there. A picture of 1911 shows goods stock stabled outside the shed buildings. [6]
The ECR and its rival the Eastern Union Railway (EUR) were both sizing up the NR to acquire and expand their railway empire. The ECR trumped the EUR by taking over the NR,including Brandon station,on 8 May 1848. [7]
In September 1853,a freight train came to a halt near Brandon,due to a defect on the locomotive. The driver of a second freight train ignored a red signal and consequently his train was in a rear-end collision with the first. Time interval working was in force at the time. [8]
By the 1860s the railways in East Anglia were in financial trouble,and most were leased to the Eastern Counties Railway,which wished to amalgamate formally but could not obtain government agreement for this until an Act of Parliament on 7 August 1862,when the Great Eastern Railway (GER) was formed by the amalgamation. Actually,Brandon became a GER station on 1 July 1862 when the GER took over the ECR and the EUR before the Bill received the Royal Assent. [9]
The system settled down for the next six decades,apart from the disruption of World War I. The difficult economic circumstances after the war led the Government to pass the Railways Act 1921 which led to the creation of the Big Four. The GER amalgamated with several other companies to create the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER). Brandon became an LNER station on 1 January 1923.
Six months into LNER ownership it was decided to rename the station as Brandon (Norfolk) (1 July 1923). It is uncertain as to why as,according to Butt,there were other stations called Brandon,but none had the suffix-less title Brandon. The renaming was seen as unnecessary and on 1 March 1925 the station reverted to its original name.
On nationalisation in 1948 the station and its services came under the auspices of the Eastern Region of British Railways.
In 1978 Brandon became an unstaffed station.
On privatisation,Central Trains took over the management of the station and all of its services on 5 January 1997.
On 1 April 2004 management of the station and the bulk of its services came under National Express East Anglia,then known as one. [10] [11]
On 11 November 2007 services between Liverpool and Norwich were transferred to East Midlands Trains upon the breakup of the Central Trains franchise.
Until spring 2009,an original telegraph pole route remained in situ from here to Wymondham;this was one of the last remaining in the country.
The station and most of its services were transferred to Abellio Greater Anglia on 5 February 2012. [12]
On 18 August 2019,all services operated by East Midlands Trains transferred to East Midlands Railway upon the expiry of the former's franchise.
In 2020,Greater Anglia planned [13] to demolish the historic 1840s station building to enlarge the car park. On 6 May 2020 Greater Anglia confirmed that it had been granted permission to carry out the work. The project was expected to begin by the end of 2020. [14]
Greater Anglia's plan was to replace it with a car park and "anti-vandal waiting shelters". In spite of objections by the local parish council and others,Breckland District Council said,"The only issues of consideration ... are the method of demolition and site restoration. The purpose of this application is not to assess the historical merit of the building and potential restoration of the building."
However,according to Historic England,railway stations of such an early date are considered to be "of international significance as being among the earliest railway structures in the world,and even partial survivals need to be assessed carefully". [4] Nevertheless,the Railway Heritage Trust (sponsored by Network Rail and Highways England) [15] did not support the objectors' cause. However SAVE arranged for plans to be drawn up for an office conversion,in another attempt to preserve the building. [4]
In August 2020 the planned demolition was put on hold following campaign group SAVE Britain’s Heritage launching judicial proceedings. [16] On 28 August 2020,the station was granted Grade II listed status. [17] [18]
A regular hourly service calling at Brandon was introduced in 2007. This resulted in a significant increase in the number of passengers using the station.
As of February 2023 [update] there is typically one train per hour to Norwich and one to Stansted Airport via Cambridge,operated by Greater Anglia. [19]
East Midlands Railway operates a single morning service to Norwich from Monday to Saturday,on its route from Nottingham,typically departing at 07:20 on weekdays and 07:23 on Saturdays. Two East Midlands Railway services serve the station on Sundays,departing at 11:13 and 14:38 respectively towards Norwich. [20]
Services towards Norwich were suspended between March and April 2023 due to structural damage to the station building. [21] [22] [23] [24]
The station was used as a location in an episode of the BBC television series Dad's Army . [25]
Berney Arms railway station is a stop on the Wherry Lines in the East of England,serving the settlement of Berney Arms on the Halvergate Marshes in Norfolk. It is located 15 miles 71 chains (25.6 km) east of Norwich and is the only station on a short stretch of single line between Reedham and Great Yarmouth. The station is managed by Greater Anglia,which also operates all trains serving it.
Reedham railway station is a stop on the Wherry Lines in the East of England,serving the village of Reedham,Norfolk. It is 12 miles 13 chains (19.6 km) down the line from Norwich;it is situated between Cantley to the west and,to the east,Berney Arms on the branch to Great Yarmouth or Haddiscoe on the branch to Lowestoft. It is commonly suffixed as Reedham (Norfolk) in order to distinguish it from the station of the same name in south London. Its three-letter station code is REE.
Great Yarmouth railway station is one of two eastern termini of the Wherry Lines in the East of England,serving the seaside town of Great Yarmouth,Norfolk. The other terminus at the eastern end of the lines is Lowestoft and the western terminus,to which all trains run,is Norwich.
Norwich railway station is the northern terminus of the Great Eastern Main Line in the East of England,serving the cathedral city of Norwich,Norfolk. It is 114 miles 77 chains (185.0 km) down the main line from London Liverpool Street,the western terminus.
Cantley railway station is a stop on the Wherry Lines in the East of England,serving the village of Cantley,Norfolk. It is 10 miles (16 km) down the line from Norwich on the routes to Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth;it is situated between Buckenham and Reedham. Its three-letter station code is CNY.
Woodbridge railway station is on the East Suffolk Line in the east of England,serving the town of Woodbridge,Suffolk. It is 10 miles 19 chains (16.5 km) down the line from Ipswich and 79 miles (127 km) measured from London Liverpool Street;it is situated between Westerfield and Melton. Its three-letter station code is WDB.
The Breckland line is a secondary railway line in the east of England that links Cambridge in the west to Norwich in the east. The line runs through three counties:Cambridgeshire,Suffolk and Norfolk. It takes its name from the Breckland region of Norfolk and passes through Thetford Forest.
Cambridge railway station is the principal station serving the city of Cambridge in the east of England. It stands at the end of Station Road,1 mile (1.6 km) south-east of the city centre. It is the northern terminus of the West Anglia Main Line,55 miles 52 chains (89.6 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street,the southern terminus.
Melton railway station is on the East Suffolk Line in the east of England,serving the village of Melton,Suffolk. It is 11 miles 49 chains (18.7 km) down the line from Ipswich and 80 miles 28 chains (129.3 km) measured from London Liverpool Street;it is situated between Woodbridge and Wickham Market. Its three-letter station code is MES.
Wickham Market railway station is on the East Suffolk Line in the east of England,located in Campsea Ashe,Suffolk,approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Wickham Market itself. The station is 15 miles 64 chains (25.4 km) down the line from Ipswich and 84 miles 43 chains (136 km) measured from London Liverpool Street;it is situated between Melton and Saxmundham. Its three-letter station code is WCM.
Stowmarket railway station is a stop on the Great Eastern Main Line (GEML) in the East of England,serving the market town of Stowmarket,Suffolk. The station is 80 miles 9 chains (128.9 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street;it is situated between Needham Market to the south and Diss to the north. It is also the junction where the Ipswich to Ely Line joins the GEML. Its three-letter station code is SMK. The station is operated by Greater Anglia,which also runs all trains that serve the station.
Wymondham railway station is a stop on the Breckland Line in the East of England,serving the market town of Wymondham,Norfolk. The line runs between Cambridge in the west and Norwich in the east. It is situated between Spooner Row and Norwich,113 miles 72 chains (183.3 km) from London Liverpool Street via Ely.
Buckenham railway station is a stop on the Wherry Lines,which serves the village of Buckenham in Norfolk,England. It is 7 miles 62 chains (12.5 km) down the line from Norwich on the routes to Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth;it is situated between Brundall and Cantley. Its three-letter station code is BUC.
Brundall railway station is on the Wherry Lines in the east of England,serving the village of Brundall,Norfolk. It is 5 miles 60 chains (9.3 km) down the line from Norwich on the route to Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft. Its three-letter station code is BDA.
Thetford railway station is on the Breckland line in the east of England,serving the market town of Thetford,Norfolk. The line runs between Cambridge in the west and Norwich in the east.
Attleborough railway station is on the Breckland line in the east of England,serving the market town of Attleborough,Norfolk. The line runs between Cambridge in the west and Norwich in the east. Attleborough is situated between Eccles Road and Spooner Row,108 miles 19 chains (174.2 km) from London Liverpool Street via Ely.
Spooner Row railway station is on the Breckland line in the East of England,serving the small village of Spooner Row,Norfolk. The line runs between Cambridge in the west and Norwich in the east.
Diss railway station is on the Great Eastern Main Line in the East of England,serving the market town of Diss,Norfolk. It is 94 miles 43 chains (152.1 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Stowmarket to the south and Norwich to the north. It is approximately 20 miles (32 km) south of Norwich. Its three-letter station code is DIS.
Hethersett was a railway station near Hethersett,Norfolk.
The Enfield Town branch is a suburban branch line in the England. In 2014 it is in fact the combination of the original Enfield branch which was built in 1849 by the Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) and a later line built by the Great Eastern Railway (GER) from Hackney Downs to Edmonton in 1872. The line is currently a double-tracked suburban railway with services running between Liverpool Street station and Enfield Town as well as some other services running from Liverpool Street to Cheshunt. Part of the original branch is closed and little visible remains today.
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
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Greater Anglia | ||||
East Midlands Railway Liverpool-Norwich Limited services |