The East Anglian Railway was an English railway company that operated in East Anglia from 1847 to 1852.
| East Anglian Railways Act 1847 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act for consolidating the Lynn and Ely, the Ely and Huntingdon, and the Lynn and Dereham Railway Companies into One Company, to be called "The East Anglian Railways Company." |
| Citation | 10 & 11 Vict. c. cclxxv |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 22 July 1847 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Great Eastern Railway Act 1862 |
Status: Repealed | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
The company was formed on 22 July 1847 by the East Anglian Railways Act 1847 (10 & 11 Vict. c. cclxxv) which authorised the merger of three railways: the Lynn and Dereham Railway, the Lynn and Ely Railway, and the Ely and Huntingdon Railway. [1]
The company soon found itself in financial difficulties and, on the verge of bankruptcy in June 1850, its property was taken over by the receiver. The receiver leased the EAR to the Great Northern Railway for 60% of the receipts. [1] The GNR had running powers over the Eastern Counties Railway line between Peterborough, March and Wisbech (opened 1847). Unfortunately, they had not applied for running rights over the line that linked the ECR and EAR stations at Wisbech and the ECR refused access so that the passengers had to change stations by horse-bus. This, together with shareholder opposition within the GNR and EAR, led the GNR to withdraw from the arrangement. [2]
This left the way clear for the Eastern Counties Railway to take over operation of the EAR, which it did so, effective from 1st January 1852. This arrangement continued until the company was absorbed by the ECR in 1862 along with a number of other lines to form the Great Eastern Railway.