General information | |||||
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Location | Spooner Row, South Norfolk England | ||||
Coordinates | 52°32′06″N1°05′10″E / 52.5351°N 1.0860°E | ||||
Grid reference | TM094975 | ||||
Managed by | Greater Anglia | ||||
Platforms | 2 | ||||
Other information | |||||
Station code | SPN | ||||
Classification | DfT category F2 | ||||
Key dates | |||||
30 July 1845 | Opened | ||||
September 1847 | Closed | ||||
1 December 1855 | Reopened | ||||
13 July 1964 | Closed to freight | ||||
Passengers | |||||
2018/19 | 1,344 | ||||
2019/20 | 276 | ||||
2020/21 | 74 | ||||
2021/22 | 320 | ||||
2022/23 | 382 | ||||
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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.
Spooner Row is situated between Attleborough and Wymondham,111 miles 27 chains (179.2 km) from London Liverpool Street via Ely. The station is managed by Greater Anglia,which also operates all of the services calling at the station.
It is one of the least-used stations in Norfolk,with just 1,344 passenger entries/exits in 2018/19,according to Office of Rail and Road estimates,though this figure was a marked increase on just 264 passengers six years prior. On weekdays,there are two trains per day to Norwich and two to Cambridge. In 2020/21,there were 74 passengers,which increased to 320 in 2021/22. [1] [2]
The Bill for the Norwich &Brandon Railway (N&BR) received Royal Assent on 10 May 1844. The line was to link with an Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) project of a line from Newport in Essex to Brandon in Suffolk. Once complete,the line would enable trains to travel from Norwich to London. Work started on the line in 1844. The line and its stations were opened on 30 July 1845. Spooner Row station opened with the line and was,as now,situated east of Attleborough station and west of Wymondham station. The line ran from Ely to Trowse,in Norwich. The link into Norwich was delayed due to the need to build a bridge over the River Wensum that kept the river navigable. 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 Spooner Row station became a Norfolk Railway asset. [3]
The NR closed Spooner Row station in September 1847. In 1848 the NR was absorbed by the Eastern Counties Railway. The ECR reopened Spooner Row station on 1 December 1855. The station closed for a second time on 1 August 1860. An Act of Parliament on 7 August 1862 authorised the amalgamation the ECR and the Eastern Union Railway,which resulted in the formation of the Great Eastern Railway (GER). Subsequent to this,Spooner Row reopened for the third and final time on 1 March 1882.
The difficult economic circumstances that existed after World War I 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). Spooner Row became an LNER station on 1 January 1923. On nationalisation in 1948 the station and its services came under the management of the Eastern Region of British Railways. The original station buildings were destroyed by fire in the 1970s,although the station features in the British Transport Films Collection DVD (Volume 4),filmed in 1959. Upon privatisation the station and its services were transferred to Central Trains on 2 March 1997. On 1 April 2004 the station and its services were transferred to National Express East Anglia,then known as one. On 5 February 2012 these were transferred to Abellio Greater Anglia.
The original wooden level crossing gates were operated manually from the station's signal box. However,in 2012 the signal box was closed and the crossing gates were renewed with automatic barriers and warning lights. The signal box is due to be relocated to Wymondham Abbey railway station on the heritage Mid-Norfolk Railway.
The station is unstaffed. The platforms are staggered on either side of the level crossing,with sheltered seating on both. On the westbound (Cambridge) platform there are unusually two help-points. The eastbound (Norwich) platform is considerably lower in height than is usual on the British railway network.
As of summer 2024,on weekdays there are two trains each morning to Norwich,also calling at Wymondham. There two trains each afternoon to Cambridge,also calling at Attleborough,Thetford,Brandon,Ely and Cambridge North. [4]
On Saturdays,the station is served by one train in each direction,with the Cambridge service extended to Stansted Airport. There is no Sunday service.
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
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Greater Anglia Limited Service |
The Great Eastern Railway (GER) was a pre-grouping British railway company,whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia. The company was grouped into the London and North Eastern Railway in 1923.
The Mid-Norfolk Railway (MNR) is a 17+1⁄2 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.
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.
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.
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.
Eccles Road railway station is on the Breckland line in the east of England,serving the villages of Eccles,Quidenham and Wilby in Norfolk. The line runs between Cambridge in the west and Norwich in the east.
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.
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.
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.
Forncett railway station was a railway station in Forncett,South Norfolk located 104 miles from London Liverpool Street. It was opened in 1849 when Norwich and Ipswich were connected by the Eastern Union Railway in 1849. Between 1881 and 1951 it was a junction for a short route to Wymondham and was closed as a result of the Beeching Axe with other smaller stations between Norwich and Ipswich.
Hethersett was a railway station near Hethersett,Norfolk.
Haughley railway station was located in Haughley,Suffolk on the Great Eastern Main Line between Liverpool Street Station and Norwich. It opened on 2 July 1849 named Haughley Junction and was a replacement for a station named Haughley Road which had been in service from 1846 to 1849 at location TM 02981 63319 on the line to Elmswell.
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.