Railways in Norfolk

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Active, heritage, and former railways of Norfolk Norfolk railways.png
Active, heritage, and former railways of Norfolk

Railways have played an important part in the history and development of the English county of Norfolk. It currently has thirty open National Rail stations, though there were once well over a hundred.

Contents

Between 1959 and 1970 much of the network was closed, including more than two thirds of Norfolk's railway stations, several main lines and most of the branch lines - leaving only a core network in place.

Several of the former routes have since been re-opened as heritage railway lines, such as the North Norfolk Railway and the Mid-Norfolk Railway.

History

Arrival of the railway

The railway first arrived in Norfolk in 1845 with a major extension of an existing line from London which previously had stopped short of Cambridge at Bishop's Stortford. The extension had been built in sections by three different companies: the Northern & Eastern Railway (N&ER) — Bishop's Stortford to Newport; the Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) — Newport through Cambridge to Brandon); and the Norwich & Brandon Railway (N&B) — Brandon via Wymondham to Norwich. However, the ECR had already held on lease the N&ER's line from Stratford to Bishop's Stortford, and it continued to operate all the services over the expanded route, whose parts were opened simultaneously. Its original terminus was at Trowse on the outskirts of Norwich.

In 1849 this route was joined by the Eastern Union Railway (EUR) line from Haughley to Norwich, extending its own lines from Colchester via Ipswich, creating a new terminus at Norwich Victoria. This route is now the Great Eastern Main Line. Journey times to the capital were shorter on this route, and it soon became very profitable.

King's Lynn had been linked to the country's growing railway network in 1846, and in 1862 the line was extended on to Hunstanton.

Expansion of the network

The creation of the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway, a combined venture between the Midland railway and the Great Northern Railway merged several smaller schemes into a larger proposal of creating a new main line from the Midlands into Norfolk.

The M&GNR created a hub at Melton Constable, which served as a junction for the route with lines heading west to the Midlands, north to Cromer, south to Norwich and east towards Great Yarmouth as well as housing a major engineering works.

In the late Victorian era with the new waves of holiday passengers during the summer months, and the increased routes for cross-Britain trade, Norfolk boomed thanks to the new rail network.

Despite this some stations such as Bluestone railway station and Starston railway station closed shortly after opening, as traffic was considered too low to justify keeping them open. Other schemes, such as a proposed branch line extension to Blakeney, were dropped when they appeared uneconomical.

Groupings and nationalisation

In 1923 the Railways Act 1921 came into force which resulted in British railways being merged into four main companies. Much of the county's routes came under the control of the London and North Eastern Railway, though the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway maintained its independence, and remained one of the few routes outside of the new system.

In 1948, all British rail companies were nationalised and Britain's railways came under state control. Until 1997 all of Norfolk's stations were under the control of British Rail.

Beeching Axe

Many stations like Middleton Towers were closed in the wake of the Beeching cuts. Middleton Towers station, 1972.jpg
Many stations like Middleton Towers were closed in the wake of the Beeching cuts.

A number of the cuts to the Norfolk network predated the Beeching cuts by several years. In 1959 the Main Line of the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway was closed, on economic grounds. Essential maintenance work was considered too much to be justified.

As car ownership increased, the need for rural routes was considered lessened, and the least profitable were screened for closure in order to save money. Beeching issued a report in 1962, recommending that a large number of stations and lines be closed.

In Norfolk, on the principal routes, such as the Great Eastern Main Line, a number of the intermediate stations at small rural towns and villages were closed, to speed up journey times. Smaller branch lines like the Waveney Valley Line were closed completely.

Many of the former trackbeds were tuned into pathways such as Marriott's Way, which remain open to cyclists and pedestrians. Many of the former stations were converted for private use.

A few routes managed to survive the initial cuts, such as the line between Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth which survived until 1970. The Bittern Line was not proposed for closure, and stayed open. But King's Lynn-Hunstanton and King's Lynn-Dereham-Wymondham closed despite not being proposed for closure in the Report.

A second report by Beeching had proposed even more severe cuts to the East Anglia rail network, leaving only the Main Line into Norwich, but it was rejected by the government.

Heritage railways

Several heritage railways operate in Norfolk, including the North Norfolk Railway. Weybourne Station 7th April 2007 (3).JPG
Several heritage railways operate in Norfolk, including the North Norfolk Railway.
Class 101 DMU on the Mid-Norfolk Railway DerehamDMU.jpg
Class 101 DMU on the Mid-Norfolk Railway

Norfolk is home to around five heritage railways and various preserved train stations.

North Norfolk Railway

The North Norfolk Railway operates a preserved five-mile route between Holt and Sheringham (via, Weybourne) on the Norfolk coast. It was preserved in the 1960s/70s, and the extension to Holt opened in 1987. [1]

Mid-Norfolk Railway

The Mid-Norfolk Railway operates a preserved fifteen-mile route between Wymondham and Worthing, A further two and a half mile extension to County School station is planned. It is also proposed to extend south to Wymondham Junction, to connect services with the National Rail main line at nearby Wymondham. [2]

Bure Valley Railway

The Bure Valley Railway is a 15-inch gauge railway that runs for nine miles between Aylsham and Wroxham. [3]

Wells and Walsingham Light Railway

The Wells and Walsingham is a 10¼ in gauge railway which runs for four miles from Wells-next-the-Sea to Walsingham (via, Wighton).

Whitwell and Reepham Railway

The Whitwell and Reepham Railway, is a newcomer to the UK Preservation Movement, it currently only runs just a few yards of newly relayed track, based at Whitwell Station, itself.

Existing network

There are currently thirty working National Rail stations in Norfolk. Most of the major towns and settlements are served by trains. Norwich railway station is the busiest station, being used by around two and a half million passengers a year. The network is currently administered by Network Rail: services in the east of the county are mainly provided by Abellio Greater Anglia with regional services by East Midlands Railway; and in the west by Great Northern with a weekday peak-hours commuting service by Abellio Greater Anglia.

Future

The Norfolk Orbital Railway is a proposal to link the Mid-Norfolk Railway and the North Norfolk Railway to create a line running from Sheringham to Wymondham, restoring regular services to Fakenham and Melton Constable. [4]

In 2008 Hunstanton Council considered a proposal to re-open the line from King's Lynn, but decided against it. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway</span> Former railway network in England

The Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway (M&GNJR) was a railway network in England, in the area connecting southern Lincolnshire, the Isle of Ely and north Norfolk. It developed from several local independent concerns and was incorporated in 1893. It was jointly owned by the Midland Railway and the Great Northern Railway, and those companies had long sponsored and operated the predecessor companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mid-Norfolk Railway</span> Heritage railway in Norfolk, England

The Mid-Norfolk Railway (MNR) is a 17+12 miles (28.2 km) preserved standard gauge heritage railway, one of the longest in Great Britain. Preservation efforts began in 1974, but the line re-opened to passengers only in the mid-1990s as part of the "new generation" of heritage railways. The MNR owns and operates most of the former Wymondham-Fakenham branch line of the Norfolk Railway. The branch opened in 1847, was closed to passengers in stages from 1964 to 1969 as part of the Beeching cuts, and was finally fully closed to goods traffic in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norwich railway station</span> Railway station in Norwich, England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">King's Lynn railway station</span> Railway station in Norfolk, England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cambridge railway station</span> Railway station in Cambridge, England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ely–Peterborough line</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wymondham railway station</span> Railway station in Norfolk, England, United Kingdom

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dereham railway station</span> Heritage railway station in Norfolk, England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wells-next-the-Sea railway station</span> Former railway station in North Norfolk, England

Wells-next-the-Sea railway station served the port town of Wells-next-the-Sea in North Norfolk, England. It was opened in 1857 by the Wells & Fakenham Railway, later part of the Great Eastern Railway's Wymondham to Wells branch, and became a junction in 1866 with the arrival of the West Norfolk Junction Railway. It closed in 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norfolk Orbital Railway</span> Proposed rail project in Norfolk, England

The Norfolk Orbital Railway – as the Holt, Melton Constable and Fakenham Railway Company – is a proposed rail project in Norfolk, England, which is proposed to look at bringing a new rail connection to North and Mid Norfolk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holt railway station</span> Former railway station in Norfolk, England

Holt railway station served the town of Holt in Norfolk, England. It was part of the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway network, which spread over much of East Anglia, providing connections to Cromer, Norwich and Yarmouth. The station was closed in 1964 and the site is now occupied by a main road. There are proposals to rebuild the line through the town, as part of an orbital railway scheme, and possibly a new station to serve the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hunstanton railway station</span> Former railway station in Norfolk, England

Hunstanton railway station served the seaside town of Hunstanton in Norfolk, England. Opened in 1862, the station was the northern terminus of the Lynn and Hunstanton Railway. The line was brought to public notice by John Betjeman in the British Transport Film John Betjeman Goes By Train. The station closed with the line in 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Norfolk Railway</span>

The East Norfolk Railway was a pre-grouping railway company operating a standard gauge 25 mile, mostly single track, railway running between Norwich Thorpe railway station and Cromer in the English county of Norfolk. It opened in 1874, reaching Cromer three years later, and remains mostly operational. The company also operated a branch between Wroxham and County School, which closed to passengers in 1952, and had proposed a branch to Blakeney in 1878, which was never constructed.

The Lynn and Dereham Railway was a standard gauge 26+12-mile (42.6 km) single track railway running between King's Lynn and Dereham in the English county of Norfolk. The Lynn to Dereham line opened in 1846 and closed in 1968, although the section between Middleton Towers and King's Lynn remains open to freight.

The Wymondham to Wells Branch was a railway built in stages by the Norfolk Railway, Eastern Counties Railway and Wells and Fakenham Company between 1847 and 1857. The railway ran from Wymondham in the south, through Dereham and Fakenham to the coastal town of Wells-next-the-Sea; more specifically, the line ran from Wymondham South Junction, where it met the present-day Breckland Line. Passenger services along the line lasted until 1969; the railway continued to be used for freight until 1989. The southern section of the railway now forms the Mid-Norfolk Railway, with part of the northern section serving as the narrow gauge Wells and Walsingham Light Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norfolk Railway</span> Railway company in Norfolk, England operating from 1845 to 1862

The Norfolk Railway was an early railway company that controlled a network of 94 miles around Norwich, England. It was formed in 1845 by the amalgamation of the Yarmouth and Norwich Railway opened in 1844, and the Norwich and Brandon Railway, not yet opened. These lines were built out of frustration that the Eastern Counties Railway line that was expected to connect Norwich to London failed to be completed. The Norfolk Railway also leased the Lowestoft Railway and Harbour company, and built a branch to Dereham and Fakenham, opened in 1846 and 1849 respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lynn and Hunstanton Railway</span> Railway line in Norfolk, England

The Lynn and Hunstanton Railway was a line in Norfolk, England that opened in 1862. The railway was a major factor in developing Hunstanton as a seaside resort and residential community. The company was allied to the West Norfolk Junction Railway which built a line connecting Heacham, south of Hunstanton, to Wells-next-the-Sea that was not a financial success. The companies amalgamated in 1874 to form the Hunstanton and West Norfolk Railway, and in 1890 the company was sold to the Great Eastern Railway.

References

  1. "The North Norfolk Railway - Welcome". www.nnrailway.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 February 2006.
  2. "About the Railway". Archived from the original on 16 June 2009. Retrieved 7 June 2009.
  3. "Home". bvrw.co.uk.
  4. "Home". norfolk-orbital-railway.co.uk.
  5. West Norfolk County Council, "Final Masterplan; Chapter 3: Detailed Proposals", page 28. Archived 7 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine

Bibliography