![Locomotive70013OliverCromwellHethersett11March2010](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/Locomotive70013OliverCromwellHethersett11March2010.jpg)
The Breckland line is a secondary railway line in the
east of England
The East of England is one of the nine official regions of England. This region was created in 1994 and was adopted for statistics purposes from 1999. It includes the ceremonial counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire ...
that links in the west to in the east. The line runs through three counties:
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and North ...
,
Suffolk
Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...
and
Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
. It takes its name from the
Breckland region of Norfolk, and passes through
Thetford Forest
Thetford Forest is the largest lowland pine forest in Britain and is located in a region straddling the north of Suffolk and the south of Norfolk in England. It covers over in the form of a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
History
Thetf ...
.
The line is in length from where it branches off the
Fen line north of to where it joins the
Great Eastern Main Line
The Great Eastern Main Line (GEML, sometimes referred to as the East Anglia Main Line) is a major railway line on the British railway system which connects Liverpool Street station in central London with destinations in east London and t ...
south of Norwich. There are 12 stations on the line including the termini.
The line is part of the
Network Rail Strategic Route 5, SRS 05.09 and part of SRS 05.05. It is classified as a secondary line, except between Cambridge and , which is classified as a London and South East commuter line.
Passenger services on the Breckland line are operated by
Greater Anglia (which manages all of the stations),
CrossCountry
CrossCountry (legal name XC Trains Limited) is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Arriva UK Trains, operating the Cross Country franchise.
The CrossCountry franchise was restructured by the Department for Transport (DfT) ...
,
East Midlands Railway
Abellio East Midlands Limited, trading as East Midlands Railway (EMR), is a train operating company in England, owned by Abellio, and is the current operator of the East Midlands franchise.
History
In March 2017, the Department for Transport a ...
, and
Great Northern Great Northern may refer to:
Transport
* One of a number of railways; see Great Northern Railway (disambiguation).
* Great Northern Railway (U.S.), a defunct American transcontinental railroad and major predecessor of the BNSF Railway.
* Great ...
.
History
Following the successful opening of the
Yarmouth and Norwich Railway
The Yarmouth & Norwich Railway (Y&NR) was the earliest railway in Norfolk, England. It was formed after it became apparent that it would be a number of years before the Eastern Counties Railway would extend their railway into Norfolk.
Its Act o ...
, the
Norwich & Brandon Railway
The Norwich & Brandon Railway (N&BR) was the second railway in Norfolk, England, after the Yarmouth & Norwich Railway (Y&NR). Its Act of Parliament on 10 May 1844 authorised it to build a line between Norwich and the small town of Brandon, actuall ...
was incorporated in 1844 to build a line between those two places. The
Eastern Counties Railway
The Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) was an English Rail transport, railway company incorporated in 1836 intended to link London with Ipswich via Colchester, and then extend to Norwich and Great Yarmouth, Yarmouth.
Construction began in 1837 on t ...
was at the same time building a route from Newport in Essex through Cambridge via Ely to . This route would be the first route between Norwich and London.
A month before opening the
Yarmouth and Norwich Railway
The Yarmouth & Norwich Railway (Y&NR) was the earliest railway in Norfolk, England. It was formed after it became apparent that it would be a number of years before the Eastern Counties Railway would extend their railway into Norfolk.
Its Act o ...
and the
Norwich & Brandon Railway
The Norwich & Brandon Railway (N&BR) was the second railway in Norfolk, England, after the Yarmouth & Norwich Railway (Y&NR). Its Act of Parliament on 10 May 1844 authorised it to build a line between Norwich and the small town of Brandon, actuall ...
merged to become the
Norfolk Railway
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, n ...
.
The two lines opened on the same day, 30 July 1845, although the line only opened to a temporary station at Wensum, pending the completion of the
Trowse swing bridge which was achieved in December 1845. Through services from Shoreditch (later known as ) to
Norwich Thorpe station started on 15 December 1845.
Although it was expected that locomotive changes would take place between the two companies at Brandon where an engine house had been built, the Norfolk Railway in fact operated trains to Ely. 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, and became responsible for operating the services from 8 May 1848.
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.
The system settled down for the next six decades, apart from the disruption of the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. The difficult economic circumstances after the war led the Government to pass the
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921 (c. 55), also known as the Grouping Act, was an Act of Parliament enacted by the British government and intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, by "grouping" them into four la ...
which led to the creation of the
Big Four railway companies. The GER amalgamated with other railways to create the
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) was the second largest (after LMS) of the " Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain. It operated from 1 January 1923 until nationalisation on 1 January 1948. At th ...
(LNER) on 1 January 1923.
In 1948 the line came under the
British Railways Eastern Region.
Accidents and incidents
::''Accidents at and , and those at , , and are not covered in this section.''
*On 9 January 1847, two ballastmen were killed when the wagon they were travelling on broke up near .
*On 5 January 1854, two trains were in collision near .
*On 1 July 1865, a passenger train was derailed as it passed under the viaduct carrying the
Great Eastern Main Line
The Great Eastern Main Line (GEML, sometimes referred to as the East Anglia Main Line) is a major railway line on the British railway system which connects Liverpool Street station in central London with destinations in east London and t ...
at
Lakenham, Norfolk. Three people sustained minor injuries.
*On 12 October 1870, a mail train collided with a freight train at .
*On 9 January 1875, a mail train ran into the rear of a freight train at . At least five people were injured.
*On 1 June 1875, a cattle train derailed at .
*On 13 January 1879, a freight train ran into the rear of a passenger train at . Several passengers were injured.
*On 19 January 1880, a freight train ran into the rear of another at Brandon.
*On 6 July 1881, a light engine was in collision with a passenger train at Wymondham North Junction. Thirteen people were injured.
*On 7 April 1906, a passenger train was derailed at due to excessive speed. Eight passengers were injured, two seriously.
*On 4 June 1926, a motor bus crashed through the parapet of an overbridge at Thetford and landed on top of a stationary train.
*On 27 October 1926, a freight train was in collision with a
lorry
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...
at
Roudham Heath
Roudham is a small settlement in Norfolk, England, part of the civil parish of Roudham and Larling in the non-metropolitan district, district of Breckland (district), Breckland. It was once home to Roudham Junction railway station. There are rem ...
, Norfolk due to errors by the crossing keeper. The lorry driver was killed.
*On 3 December 1976, a passenger train collided with a lorry on an unmanned
level crossing
A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, Trail, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line crossing over or under using an Overpass#Railway, overpass ...
at Shippea Hill. The train driver was killed and eight of his passengers were injured.
*On 12 September 2006,
Class 170 diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also ...
170 206 was derailed as it crossed the level crossing at
Croxton, Norfolk
Croxton is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, within the district of Breckland. Croxton is located 2.2 miles north of Thetford and 26 miles south-east of Norwich.
History
Croxton's name is of mixed Anglo-Saxon and Vik ...
. A panel that formed part of the level crossing had become dislodged and fouled both railway and road.
![Rural level crossing in Roudham - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Rural_level_crossing_in_Roudham_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1710417.jpg)
*On 10 April 2016, Class 170 unit 170 204 collided with an agricultural tractor on a private level crossing at
Roudham
Roudham is a small settlement in Norfolk, England, part of the civil parish of Roudham and Larling in the district of Breckland. It was once home to Roudham Junction railway station. There are remains of a medieval
In the history o ...
, Norfolk. The tractor driver was seriously injured, the train driver and six passengers sustained minor injuries.
A preliminary investigation revealed that the tractor driver had obtained permission to cross the line.
Infrastructure
The line is
double-track
A double-track railway usually involves running one track in each direction, compared to a single-track railway where trains in both directions share the same track.
Overview
In the earliest days of railways in the United Kingdom, most li ...
throughout but is only
electrified
Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source.
The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology, economic history ...
between Cambridge and Ely, and also between Norwich and Trowse Junction, at
25 kV AC
Railway electrification systems using alternating current (AC) at are used worldwide, especially for high-speed rail. It is usually supplied at the standard utility frequency (typically 50 or 60Hz), which simplifies traction substations. The d ...
. It has a
loading gauge
A loading gauge is a diagram or physical structure that defines the maximum height and width dimensions in railway vehicles and their loads. Their purpose is to ensure that rail vehicles can pass safely through tunnels and under bridges, and ke ...
of W8, except for the section connecting the
Ipswich–Ely line
The Ipswich–Ely line is a railway line linking East Anglia to the English Midlands via Ely. There is also a branch line to . Passenger services are operated by Abellio Greater Anglia. It is a part of Network Rail Strategic Route 5, SRS 05.07 ...
to the
Ely–Peterborough line, which is W10. The line speed ranges between .
[
Until 2012 the line retained its historic characteristics, with well preserved stations, semaphore signalling and, until spring 2009, lineside telegraph poles, along with sections of jointed rail on wooden sleepers. However, the two-stage Ely–Norwich re-signalling programme in August and December 2012 involved the closure of the nine local mechanical ]signal box
In signal processing, a signal is a function that conveys information about a phenomenon. Any quantity that can vary over space or time can be used as a signal to share messages between observers. The ''IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing'' ...
es and removal of the seven sets of manually-operated wooden gates at level crossings
A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line crossing over or under using an overpass or tunnel. The term also ...
. The Cambridge signal box now controls the modern electronic interlockings which operate the lightweight LED signals, while the level crossings have been fully automated with barriers and warning lights.
Route
The places served by the route are listed below, with Ordnance Survey
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grid references for the stations:
Trains pass through Waterbeach station between Ely and Cambridge North without stopping.
Prickwillow station, between Ely and Shippea Hill stations, closed in 1850.
Services
Some of the stations on the Breckland line see just one stopping train in each direction per day, mostly in the Norwich direction in the morning and in the Cambridge direction in the afternoon or evening. Three stations on the line are request stops only: , , and . Harling Road and Eccles Road have 'peak hour
A rush hour (American English, British English) or peak hour ( Australian English) is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice every weekday: ...
' only services – two in each direction each day, Monday to Saturday (two in the morning to Norwich, two westbound in the evening, one of which is operated by East Midlands Railway
Abellio East Midlands Limited, trading as East Midlands Railway (EMR), is a train operating company in England, owned by Abellio, and is the current operator of the East Midlands franchise.
History
In March 2017, the Department for Transport a ...
on weekdays only).
Passenger services are operated by several companies:
*Abellio Greater Anglia
Greater Anglia (legal name Abellio East Anglia Limited) is a train operating company in Great Britain owned as a joint venture by Abellio (transport company), Abellio, the international arm of the state-owned Dutch national rail operator Neder ...
operates a typically hourly service between Stansted Airport and Norwich, using Class 755 bi-mode multiple unit
An electro-diesel multiple unit (EDMU) or bi-mode multiple unit (BMU) is a form of a multiple unit that can be powered either by electric power picked up from the overhead lines or third rail (like an electric multiple unit – EMU) or by u ...
s which replaced the Class 170s in 2019.
*East Midlands Railway
Abellio East Midlands Limited, trading as East Midlands Railway (EMR), is a train operating company in England, owned by Abellio, and is the current operator of the East Midlands franchise.
History
In March 2017, the Department for Transport a ...
operates various services between Ely and Norwich, as part of its Liverpool–Norwich route, usually using Class 158 diesel units, although Class 156 units may sometimes be used.
*CrossCountry
CrossCountry (legal name XC Trains Limited) is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Arriva UK Trains, operating the Cross Country franchise.
The CrossCountry franchise was restructured by the Department for Transport (DfT) ...
operates various services between Cambridge and Ely as part of its Birmingham–Stansted Airport route, usually using Class 170 diesel units.
*Thameslink and Great Northern
Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) is a train operating company that operates the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern (TSGN) rail franchise in England. Within the franchise, GTR runs the Thameslink, Great Northern route, Great Northern, Sout ...
operates various services between Cambridge and Ely as part of the Fen line route to King's Lynn, usually using Class 365, Class 387 and Class 700 trains.
References
{{Railway lines in the East of England
Rail transport in Cambridgeshire
Rail transport in Suffolk
Rail transport in Norfolk
Railway lines in the East of England
Railway lines opened in 1845
Standard gauge railways in England