The Norfolk Orbital Railway — as the Holt, Melton Constable and Fakenham Railway Company — is a proposed rail project in

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 ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, which is proposed to look at bringing a new rail connection to North and Mid Norfolk. The proposed line would link stations at

Sheringham Sheringham (; population 7,367) is an English seaside town within the county of Norfolk, United Kingdom.Ordnance Survey (2002). ''OS Explorer Map 252 - Norfolk Coast East''. . The motto of the town, granted in 1953 to the Sheringham Urban Distr ...

and

Wymondham Wymondham ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the South Norfolk district of Norfolk, England, south-west of Norwich off the A11 road to London. The River Tiffey runs through. The parish, one of Norfolk's largest, includes rural areas to ...

on the national rail network by using tracks of the two standard gauge heritage railways in the county, and restoring the former

Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway 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 ...

line between Holt and

Fakenham Fakenham is a market town and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It is situated on the River Wensum, about north west of Norwich. The town is the junction of several local roads, including the A148 from King's Lynn to Cromer, the A1067 to Norw ...

, creating a circular route that could be used by passenger services. The heritage lines affected are

Mid-Norfolk Railway The Mid-Norfolk Railway (MNR) is a 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" ...

and the

North Norfolk Railway The North Norfolk Railway (NNR) – also known as the "Poppy Line" – is a heritage steam railway in Norfolk, England, running between the towns of Sheringham and Holt. The North Norfolk Railway is owned and operated as a public limite ...

, with the route including stations on both of these lines as well as on part of National Rail network and on a disused section between County School and Holt. These are both 2 entirely separate enterprises.

History

The line from

Melton Constable Melton Constable is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It covers an area of and had a population of 518 in 225 households at the 2001 census. The population had increased to 618 at the 2011 Census. For the purposes of ...

was built by the Lynn and Fakenham Railway, later the

's main line from

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

to Great Yarmouth. The line from Melton Constable to Holt was part of the M&GN branch line to

Cromer Cromer ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish on the north coast of the English county of Norfolk. It is north of Norwich, north-northeast of London and east of Sheringham on the North Sea coastline. The local government authorities are Nor ...

. The section between County School and Fakenham was part of 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 ...

, later the Great Eastern Railway Wymondham to Wells Branch. The M&GN main line closed to passengers in February 1959. The branch line remained open, operated as part of the line from

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

Thorpe, when it was cut back to Sheringham in 1964. The passenger service on the GER line from Fakenham ended in 1964, with the line finally closing in the 1980s.

Route

The route is planned to run from Sheringham to Dereham via Holt and Fakenham. In January 2019, Campaign for Better Transport released a report listing the line as Priority 2 for reopening, with Priority 2 being described as "feasible projects which require further development or changed circumstances (for example, housing development proposals) to assist them in being taken forward". The route south from Fakenham, forming part of this scheme, is protected by North Norfolk District Council from any development that would be prejudicial to the restoration of a railway line The

was known affectionately as the 'muddle and go nowhere railway' and the Norfolk Orbital Railway would be proud to achieve this.

Developments

The Midland & Great Northern section

The Holt link

The first section of the formation to be purchased by the Norfolk Orbital Railway is located between the North Norfolk Railway's Holt station site and the town bypass, which was built on the railway formation. The NOR plans would see a line relaid on the wide verge beside the road. The company paid £25,000 for the 50-yard stretch of former track bed, and erected a small sign on a tree to indicate that it is now back in railway ownership. The section of formation was cleared of vegetation in 2016 There is much debate on whether getting to the centre of Holt, let alone through the town to the other side, is actually feasible, or even possible, with the need to cross three roads, one of which is an A road.

The Great Eastern section

Fakenham Land

In 2009 the Norfolk Orbital Railway attempted to secure a section of the railway formation in Fakenham, but was outbid by a London developer who claimed not to know of the project. The land was once again auctioned on 10 December 2014, and was secured for the railway project for £24,000. In 2016 the project was awarded £60,000 from the

Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

to help repair the Fakenham bridges, provide an education resource, equipment for the Fakenham Area Conservation Team and to create a walk along the preserved formation for people to enjoy. The walkway is currently maintained by the conservation team, but has also suffered from the attention of local vandals. In August 2019 the Lottery-funded restoration of the formation was completed, with local councillors and land-owners invited to a meeting at

County School railway station ''County School railway station'' is on the Mid-Norfolk Railway in Norfolk, England; it will serve the villages of North Elmham and Guist once services resume. It is 17 miles 40 chains (28 km) down the line from Wymondham and is the norther ...

, followed by a tour of the restored formation footpath.

References

External links and references

Norfolk Orbital Railway WebsiteBBC4 TV ''Beeching's Tracks-East''
{{Proposed rail infrastructure projects in the United Kingdom Rail transport in Norfolk Proposed railway lines in England