![Norfolk railways](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/Norfolk_railways.png)
Railways have played an important part in the history and development of the English county of
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 currently has thirty open
National Rail
National Rail (NR) is the trading name licensed for use by the Rail Delivery Group, an unincorporated association whose membership consists of the passenger train operating companies (TOCs) of England, Scotland, and Wales. The TOCs run the ...
stations, though there were once well over a hundred.
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
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 ...
and the
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" ...
.
History
Arrival of the railway
The railway first arrived in Norfolk in 1845 with a major extension of an existing line from
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
which previously had stopped short of
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...
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
The Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) was an English railway company incorporated in 1836 intended to link London with Ipswich via Colchester, and then extend to Norwich and Yarmouth.
Construction began in 1837 on the first nine miles at the Lond ...
(ECR) — Newport through
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...
to Brandon); 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, actual ...
(N&B) — Brandon via
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 ...
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
Trowse (pronounced by those from Norwich and by elderly residents of the village), also called Trowse with Newton, is a village in South Norfolk which lies about south-east of Norwich city centre on the banks of the River Yare. It covers an ...
on the outskirts of
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 ...
.
In 1849 this route was joined by the
Eastern Union Railway
The Eastern Union Railway (EUR) was an English railway company, at first built from Colchester to Ipswich; it opened in 1846. It was proposed when the earlier Eastern Counties Railway failed to make its promised line from Colchester to Norwich. T ...
(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
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 ...
, a combined venture between the
Midland railway
The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It ama ...
and the
Great Northern Railway merged several smaller schemes into a larger proposal of creating a new main line from the
Midlands into
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 ...
.
The M&GNR created a hub at
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 ...
, which served as a junction for the route with lines heading west to the
Midlands, north 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 ...
, south to
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 ...
and east towards
Great Yarmouth as well as housing a major
engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...
works.
In the late
Victorian era
In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...
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
Bluestone railway station was a station in Norfolk, England. It was on the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway between Corpusty and Aylsham North. It opened in the late 19th century, to serve the surrounding farms and settlements, and clo ...
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
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 ...
maintained its independence, and remained one of the few routes outside of the new system.
In 1947, 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
![Middleton Towers station, 1972](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Middleton_Towers_station%2C_1972.jpg)
A number of the cuts to the Norfolk network predated the
Beeching cuts
The Beeching cuts (also Beeching Axe) was a plan to increase the efficiency of the nationalised railway system in Great Britain. The plan was outlined in two reports: ''The Reshaping of British Railways'' (1963) and ''The Development of the M ...
by several years. In 1959 the Main Line of the
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 ...
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
The Marriott's Way is a long-distance footpath, cycle-path and bridleway in north Norfolk, England, between Norwich and Aylsham via Themelthorpe. It forms part of the National Cycle Network (NCN) (Route 1) and the red route of Norwich's Pedal ...
, 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
![DerehamDMU](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/DerehamDMU.jpg)
Norfolk is home to around five
heritage railways and various preserved train stations.
North Norfolk Railway
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 ...
operates a preserved five-mile route between
Holt and
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 ...
(via,
Weybourne) on the Norfolk coast. It was preserved in the 1960s/70s, and the extension to Holt opened in 1987.
Mid-Norfolk Railway
The
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" ...
operates a preserved fifteen-mile route between
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 ...
and
Worthing
Worthing () is a seaside town in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 111,400 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Brighton and Ho ...
, A further two and a half mile extension to
County School 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 ...
is planned. It is also proposed to extend south to
Wymondham Junction, to connect services with the
National Rail
National Rail (NR) is the trading name licensed for use by the Rail Delivery Group, an unincorporated association whose membership consists of the passenger train operating companies (TOCs) of England, Scotland, and Wales. The TOCs run the ...
main line at nearby
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 ...
.
Bure Valley Railway
The
Bure Valley Railway
The Bure Valley Railway is a minimum gauge visitors' attraction in Norfolk, England. It was created on the original disused full-gauge bed of a defunct passenger service to incorporate a new, adjacent pedestrian footpath.
The railway runs from ...
is a 15-inch gauge railway that runs for nine miles between
Aylsham
Aylsham ( or ) is a historic market town and civil parish on the River Bure in north Norfolk, England, nearly north of Norwich. The river rises near Melton Constable, upstream from Aylsham and continues to Great Yarmouth and the North Sea, ...
and
Wroxham
Wroxham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The civil parish of Wroxham has an area of 6.21 square kilometres, and in 2001, had a population of 1,532 in 666 households. A reduced population of 1,502 in 653 households ...
.
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
Wells-next-the-Sea is a port town on the north coast of Norfolk, England.
The civil parish has an area of and in 2001 had a population of 2,451,Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council (2001). Census population and household c ...
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
National Rail (NR) is the trading name licensed for use by the Rail Delivery Group, an unincorporated association whose membership consists of the passenger train operating companies (TOCs) of England, Scotland, and Wales. The TOCs run the ...
stations 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 ...
. Most of the major towns and settlements are served by trains.
Norwich railway station
Norwich railway station (formerly Norwich Thorpe) is the northern terminus of the Great Eastern Main Line in the East of England, serving the city of Norwich, Norfolk. It is down the main line (measured via Ipswich) from London Liverpool St ...
is the busiest station, being used by around two and a half million passengers a year. The network is currently administered by
Network Rail
Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is an "arm's leng ...
: services in the east of the county are mainly provided by
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, the international arm of the state-owned Dutch national rail operator Nederlandse Spoorwegen, and the J ...
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
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.
The proposed l ...
is a proposal to link the Mid-Norfolk Railway and the North Norfolk Railway to create a line running from
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 ...
to
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 ...
, restoring regular services to
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 ...
and
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 ...
.
In 2008
Hunstanton Council considered a proposal to re-open the line from
King's Lynn, but decided against it.
West Norfolk County Council, "Final Masterplan; Chapter 3: Detailed Proposals", page 28.
References
Bibliography
* British Railway Atlas. 1947
{{Norfolk Railway Stations
Rail transport in Norfolk