Kennett is a

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

serving the villages of Kennett in

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a 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 Northamptonshire to the ...

and

Kentford Kentford is a village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England. In 2021 it had an estimated population of 1125. Located just off the A14, close to the border with Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbrevi ...

in Suffolk, England. It opened in 1854 when the railway was extended from Newmarket to Bury St Edmunds. At its peak during the period 1860 to 1890 there was a station master and three other members of staff. From 1929 onwards the four station staff were replaced by a 'Porter-in-charge' until 1967. During a heavy storm in 1968, the original brick bridge that crosses the River Kennett east of the station was washed away isolating the line for several days whilst a new metal structure was constructed to replace it. The station closed to freight traffic on 28 December 1964, although a

Speedlink Speedlink was a wagonload freight service operated by British Rail from 1977 to 1991 using air-braked wagons. History Background, 1970s In the late 1960s British Rail (BR) was loss making and government supported; government and British Rail ...

rail service continued to serve the granary behind the station until the mid-1980s. Further east of the station a siding serves

Lafarge La Farge, LaFarge or Lafarge can refer to: People * Antoinette LaFarge (1966–), American artist and writer * Christopher Grant LaFarge (1862–1938), American architect and partner in the firm Heins & LaFarge * Christopher Grant La Farge ( ...

aggregate, providing sugar stone for

British Sugar British Sugar plc is a subsidiary of Associated British Foods and the sole British producer of sugar from sugar beet, as well as medicinal cannabis. British Sugar processes all sugar beet grown in the United Kingdom, and produces about two-thi ...

. On 2 January 1967, the station became an unstaffed halt on the Cambridge-Ipswich line and the main station buildings were demolished in 1976 after being left derelict. Parts of the original building were retained to serve as storage for the signal box and line-side maintenance; these have since been demolished. The station buildings were typical of the line between Bury St Edmunds and Newmarket, and consisted of a two-story station master's house adjoining a small booking hall, similar to the extant buildings at Higham station.

Station improvements

The signal box closed following the replacement of the semaphore signals on 11 November 2011. It was subsequently removed and transported by road to the

Colne Valley Railway The Colne Valley Railway is a heritage railway based at Castle Hedingham Station, near Halstead in Essex, England. The railway consists of a long running line, with a fully reconstructed station, signal box and railway yard. History The ra ...

in Essex. Signal control was moved to Bury St Edmunds Yard because of modernisation of the line to provide increased capacity. The growth in demand comes from the increase of freight operations from

Felixstowe Felixstowe ( ) is a port town in Suffolk, England. The estimated population in 2017 was 24,521. The Port of Felixstowe is the largest Containerization, container port in the United Kingdom. Felixstowe is approximately 116km (72 miles) northea ...

to the midlands. A new footbridge was constructed in July 2014. Building work to improve the station continued until the spring of 2016. For the platforms this meant a rebuild of platform 1, resurfacing of both platforms, the addition of sheltered and unsheltered seating, and the installation of LED lamp posts. The carpark was also improved, with the addition of dedicated

motorbike A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruisin ...

and bicycle parking, and an illuminated noticeboard to display train timetables and planned service alterations.

Historical services

According to the

Official Handbook of Stations The ''Official Handbook of Stations'' was a large book (, 494 pages) listing all the passenger and goods stations, as well as private sidings, on the railways of Great Britain and Ireland. It was published in 1956 by the British Transport Commiss ...

the following classes of traffic were being handled at this station in 1956: G, P, F, L, H, C and there was a 1-ton 10 cwt crane.

Train services

The following services currently call at Kennett: There is also a single daily service to (weekdays only), calling at , , , and .

References

External links

Kennett station on navigable 1946 O.S. map

External pictures of Kennett station in 1975

External pictures of Kennett station in the 1980s
{{Railway stations served by Abellio Greater Anglia Railway stations in Cambridgeshire DfT Category F2 stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1854 Former Great Eastern Railway stations Greater Anglia franchise railway stations