Bittern Line
Encyclopedia
The Bittern Line is a railway line from Norwich
to Cromer
then Sheringham
in Norfolk
, England. It is one of the most scenic in the East of England
traversing the Norfolk Broads on its route to the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
on the North Norfolk Coast. The line is part of the Network Rail
Strategic Route 7
, SRS 07.11 and is classified as a rural line. It is named after the Bittern, a rare bird found in the reedy wetlands of Norfolk.
and North Walsham
in 1874 by the East Norfolk Railway
, and it reached Cromer
by 1877. The rest of the line, between Cromer and Sheringham
, was opened in 1887 using a section of the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway
line (a further section of the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway
running from Sheringham to Holt
is preserved as the North Norfolk Railway
).
The Bittern Line Partnership was set up by Norfolk County Council in 1997.
In November 2006 track renewal work began with whole lengths of the old track being lifted and new rails and sleepers
being installed, along with new level crossing
points. The work will improve the ride comfort and safety and reduce the noise levels for those living near to the track. The work was carried out by Balfour Beatty
on behalf of Network Rail
.
The line was designated as a community rail
line by the Department for Transport
on 28 September 2007.
Passenger numbers are increasing, and the route has seen a number of service improvements in recent years, including two additional trains in the evening (one an hour after the previous last train, and one filling in a two-hour gap before the last train), and the next timetable will see the Sunday service improved from two-hourly to hourly.
, part of Groupe Eurotunnel S.A
. The line also sees freight services taking gas condensate from a terminal at North Walsham
to Harwich
.
A service was in place that sent spent ballast to North Walsham for onwards sale and disposal. This service has now ceased as the contract with Frimstone for spent TfL
ballast has finished.
where the line becomes single track, with a passing loop at North Walsham, and a two platform station at Cromer also allowing passing. The line is not electrified
, has a loading gauge of W8 between Norwich
and Roughton Road
and W6 from Roughton Road to Sheringham
, and a line speed of between 40-75 mph.
The line was resignalled in 2000, leading to the closure of a number of mechanical signal boxes with control moving to a panel in the Trowse Swing Bridge
control room, although it is arguable if this is a real improvement since there have been a number of serious failures causing full or partial suspension of service during electrical storms. This is due to the system using high frequency pulses in the rail as opposed to standard track circuits to operate level crossings. This saw the end of one of the few remaining sections of single track main line controlled by tokens.
The signalling meant Cromer Signal box that the last surviving M&GN example was decommissioned; however it has been saved as a museum.
The line uses Class 153
, Class 156
and Class 170 diesel multiple unit
s.
One of the main signalling problems lies in the data loggers at Whittlingham Junction which when the fail safe system trips them requires a manual reset. The same system has been installed on the Marston Vale Line
Between Bedford and Bletchley, but the system was installed using automatic reset for the data loggers. Network Rail claim that they cannot justify the £93,000 to replace the manual ones at Whittlingham.
eco-town
which would be served by a 15 minute service during peak time. The building of the town may also mean a short freight spur being built to transport fuel to fire an on-site power station. The plans for the settlement received approval from the government in July 2009.
was reinstated on March 11, 2010 upon the occasion of the opening of a new level crossing
at Sheringham
. Occasional uses by charter trains and visiting rolling stock are anticipated to not exceed 12 times a year.
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
to Cromer
Cromer
Cromer is a coastal town and civil parish in north Norfolk, England. The local government authority is North Norfolk District Council, whose headquarters is in Holt Road in the town. The town is situated 23 miles north of the county town, Norwich, and is 4 miles east of Sheringham...
then Sheringham
Sheringham
Sheringham is a seaside town in Norfolk, England, west of Cromer.The motto of the town, granted in 1953 to the Sheringham Urban District Council, is Mare Ditat Pinusque Decorat, Latin for "The sea enriches and the pine adorns"....
in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, England. It is one of the most scenic in the East of England
East of England
The East of England is one of the nine official regions of England. It was created in 1994 and was adopted for statistics from 1999. It includes the ceremonial counties of Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. Essex has the highest population in the region.Its...
traversing the Norfolk Broads on its route to the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...
on the North Norfolk Coast. The line is part of the Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
Strategic Route 7
Network Rail Route 7 (Great Eastern)
Strategic Route 7 - Great Eastern is the designation given by Network Rail to a grouping of railway lines in the East of England that encompasses the Great Eastern Main Line and its various branch lines...
, SRS 07.11 and is classified as a rural line. It is named after the Bittern, a rare bird found in the reedy wetlands of Norfolk.
History
The line was opened between NorwichNorwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
and North Walsham
North Walsham
North Walsham is a market town and civil parish in Norfolk, England in the North Norfolk district.-Demographics:The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of 11,998. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of North...
in 1874 by the East Norfolk Railway
East Norfolk Railway
The East Norfolk Railway was a standard gauge 25 mile, mostly single track, railway running between Norwich Thorpe railway station and Cromer in the English county of Norfolk. It opened in 1874, reaching Cromer three years later, and remains mostly operational...
, and it reached Cromer
Cromer
Cromer is a coastal town and civil parish in north Norfolk, England. The local government authority is North Norfolk District Council, whose headquarters is in Holt Road in the town. The town is situated 23 miles north of the county town, Norwich, and is 4 miles east of Sheringham...
by 1877. The rest of the line, between Cromer and Sheringham
Sheringham
Sheringham is a seaside town in Norfolk, England, west of Cromer.The motto of the town, granted in 1953 to the Sheringham Urban District Council, is Mare Ditat Pinusque Decorat, Latin for "The sea enriches and the pine adorns"....
, was opened in 1887 using a section of the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway
Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway
The Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway, was a joint railway owned by the Midland Railway and the Great Northern Railway in eastern England, affectionately known as the 'Muddle and Get Nowhere' to generations of passengers, enthusiasts, and other users.The main line ran from Peterborough to...
line (a further section of the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway
Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway
The Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway, was a joint railway owned by the Midland Railway and the Great Northern Railway in eastern England, affectionately known as the 'Muddle and Get Nowhere' to generations of passengers, enthusiasts, and other users.The main line ran from Peterborough to...
running from Sheringham to Holt
Holt, Norfolk
Holt is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is north of the city of Norwich, west of Cromer and east of King's Lynn. The town is on the route of the A148 King's Lynn to Cromer road. The nearest railway station is in the town of Sheringham where access to the...
is preserved as the North Norfolk Railway
North Norfolk Railway
The North Norfolk Railway – also known as the "Poppy Line" – is a heritage steam railway in Norfolk, England, running between the coastal town of Sheringham and Holt, It cuts through the countryside to the east of Weybourne with views of its windmill and passes through the well preserved country...
).
The Bittern Line Partnership was set up by Norfolk County Council in 1997.
In November 2006 track renewal work began with whole lengths of the old track being lifted and new rails and sleepers
Railroad tie
A railroad tie/railway tie , or railway sleeper is a rectangular item used to support the rails in railroad tracks...
being installed, along with new level crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
points. The work will improve the ride comfort and safety and reduce the noise levels for those living near to the track. The work was carried out by Balfour Beatty
Balfour Beatty
Balfour Beatty plc is a British construction, engineering, military housing, rail and investment services company. It is one of the largest construction companies in the UK, and the 15th largest in the world...
on behalf of Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
.
The line was designated as a community rail
Community rail
In the United Kingdom, a community rail line is a local railway which is specially supported by local organisations. This support is usually through a Community Rail Partnerships – comprising both the railway operator, local councils and other community organisations – or sometimes by...
line by the Department for Transport
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
on 28 September 2007.
Passenger numbers are increasing, and the route has seen a number of service improvements in recent years, including two additional trains in the evening (one an hour after the previous last train, and one filling in a two-hour gap before the last train), and the next timetable will see the Sunday service improved from two-hourly to hourly.
Route
The towns and villages served by the route are listed below.- Norwich
- SalhouseSalhouseSalhouse is a village and civil parish within The Broads National Park in the English county of Norfolk. It lies south of the River Bure and Salhouse Broad, about north-east of Norwich....
- HovetonHovetonHoveton is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is located within the Norfolk Broads, and immediately across the River Bure from the village of Wroxham...
and WroxhamWroxhamWroxham 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 1532 in 666 households. The village is situated within the Norfolk Broads on the south side of a loop in the middle reaches of...
- Connection with the narrow-gauge Bure ValleyBure Valley RailwayThe Bure Valley Railway is a minimum gauge heritage railway in Norfolk, within The Broads National Park.The railway runs from Wroxham to Aylsham and is Norfolk's longest railway of less than standard gauge. It uses both steam and diesel locomotives. There are intermediate halts at Brampton,...
heritage railwayHeritage railwaythumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
.
- Connection with the narrow-gauge Bure Valley
- WorsteadWorsteadWorstead is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It lies 5 km south of North Walsham, 9 km north of Wroxham, and 20 km north of Norwich. The village is served by Worstead railway station on the Bittern Line....
- North WalshamNorth WalshamNorth Walsham is a market town and civil parish in Norfolk, England in the North Norfolk district.-Demographics:The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of 11,998. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of North...
- GuntonGunton railway stationGunton is a railway station on the Bittern Line which connects the city of Norwich to the North Norfolk coastal towns of Cromer and Sheringham in East Anglia, England. There is no village of this name, the station being actually situated in the parish of Thorpe Market...
- Roughton RoadRoughton Road railway stationRoughton Road is a modern railway halt on the outskirts of the town of Cromer in the English county of Norfolk. It is several miles north of the village of Roughton...
(a suburb of Cromer) - Cromer (reverse)
- West RuntonWest RuntonWest Runton is a village in North Norfolk, England, approximately ¼ of a mile from the North Sea coast.-Overview:West Runton and East Runton together form the parish of Runton. The village straddles the A149 North Norfolk coast road and is 2½ miles west of Cromer and 1½ miles east of Sheringham...
for Beeston RegisBeeston RegisBeeston Regis is a village and civil parish in the North Norfolk district of Norfolk, England. It is about a mile east of Sheringham, Norfolk and near the coast. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,091... - Sheringham also for Beeston Regis
Services
Passenger services are operated by National Express East Anglia. The line is also used by freight services which are operated by GB RailfreightGB Railfreight
GB Railfreight is a British freight train operating company. Formerly called First GBRf, its new owner Eurotunnel bought the company in May 2010.-History:...
, part of Groupe Eurotunnel S.A
Eurotunnel
Groupe Eurotunnel S.A. manages and operates the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France. The Company operates the car shuttle services and earns revenue on other trains passing through the tunnel...
. The line also sees freight services taking gas condensate from a terminal at North Walsham
North Walsham
North Walsham is a market town and civil parish in Norfolk, England in the North Norfolk district.-Demographics:The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of 11,998. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of North...
to Harwich
Harwich
Harwich is a town in Essex, England and one of the Haven ports, located on the coast with the North Sea to the east. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the northeast, Ipswich to the northwest, Colchester to the southwest and Clacton-on-Sea to the south...
.
A service was in place that sent spent ballast to North Walsham for onwards sale and disposal. This service has now ceased as the contract with Frimstone for spent TfL
Transport for London
Transport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England. Its role is to implement the transport strategy and to manage transport services across London...
ballast has finished.
Infrastructure
The line is double track from Norwich to Hoveton and WroxhamHoveton and Wroxham railway station
Hoveton and Wroxham is a railway station serving the town of Wroxham in the English county of Norfolk. The station is technically situated in the adjacent village of Hoveton, but the two settlements are usually regarded as one....
where the line becomes single track, with a passing loop at North Walsham, and a two platform station at Cromer also allowing passing. The line is not electrified
Railway electrification in Great Britain
Railway electrification in Great Britain started towards of the 19th century. A great range of voltages have been used in the intervening period using both overhead lines and third rails, however the most common standard for mainline services is now 25 kV AC using overhead lines and the...
, has a loading gauge of W8 between Norwich
Norwich railway station
Norwich is a railway station serving the city of Norwich in the English county of Norfolk. The station is the northern terminus of the Great Eastern Main Line from London Liverpool Street. It is also the terminus of railway lines from Ely, Sheringham, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.-History:At one...
and Roughton Road
Roughton Road railway station
Roughton Road is a modern railway halt on the outskirts of the town of Cromer in the English county of Norfolk. It is several miles north of the village of Roughton...
and W6 from Roughton Road to Sheringham
Sheringham railway station
Sheringham railway station is a timber halt in the town of Sheringham in the English county of Norfolk. The station is the terminus of the Bittern Line, operated by National Express East Anglia, and is 49 km north of...
, and a line speed of between 40-75 mph.
The line was resignalled in 2000, leading to the closure of a number of mechanical signal boxes with control moving to a panel in the Trowse Swing Bridge
Trowse Bridge
Trowse swing bridge is a single-track railway bridge which carries the Great Eastern Main Line over the River Wensum just outside Norwich in the United Kingdom at ....
control room, although it is arguable if this is a real improvement since there have been a number of serious failures causing full or partial suspension of service during electrical storms. This is due to the system using high frequency pulses in the rail as opposed to standard track circuits to operate level crossings. This saw the end of one of the few remaining sections of single track main line controlled by tokens.
The signalling meant Cromer Signal box that the last surviving M&GN example was decommissioned; however it has been saved as a museum.
The line uses Class 153
British Rail Class 153
The British Rail Class 153 Super Sprinter is a single car diesel multiple unit converted from British Rail Class 155s.-Description:These units were originally built as two-car Class 155 units by British Leyland from 1987–88, but were converted by Hunslet-Barclay at Kilmarnock from 1991-92...
, Class 156
British Rail Class 156
The British Rail Class 156 Super Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit train . 114 of these units were built from 1987 to 1989 by Metro-Cammell at its Washwood Heath Works in Birmingham...
and Class 170 diesel multiple unit
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
s.
One of the main signalling problems lies in the data loggers at Whittlingham Junction which when the fail safe system trips them requires a manual reset. The same system has been installed on the Marston Vale Line
Marston Vale Line
The Marston Vale Line is the railway line from Bletchley to Bedford in England. It is one of two surviving passenger-carrying sections of the "Varsity Line" between Oxford and Cambridge....
Between Bedford and Bletchley, but the system was installed using automatic reset for the data loggers. Network Rail claim that they cannot justify the £93,000 to replace the manual ones at Whittlingham.
Rackheath station
A new station is included as part of the RackheathRackheath
Rackheath is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, and is roughly outside of Norwich City Centre.It covers an area of and had a population of 1,551 in 625 households as of the 2001 census....
eco-town
Eco-towns (UK)
Eco-towns are a government-sponsored programme of new towns to be built in England, which are intended to achieve exemplary standards of sustainability.In 2007, the...
which would be served by a 15 minute service during peak time. The building of the town may also mean a short freight spur being built to transport fuel to fire an on-site power station. The plans for the settlement received approval from the government in July 2009.
The Sheringham Link
After a time period of 36 years the link between the Bittern Line and the North Norfolk RailwayNorth Norfolk Railway
The North Norfolk Railway – also known as the "Poppy Line" – is a heritage steam railway in Norfolk, England, running between the coastal town of Sheringham and Holt, It cuts through the countryside to the east of Weybourne with views of its windmill and passes through the well preserved country...
was reinstated on March 11, 2010 upon the occasion of the opening of a new level crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
at Sheringham
Sheringham
Sheringham is a seaside town in Norfolk, England, west of Cromer.The motto of the town, granted in 1953 to the Sheringham Urban District Council, is Mare Ditat Pinusque Decorat, Latin for "The sea enriches and the pine adorns"....
. Occasional uses by charter trains and visiting rolling stock are anticipated to not exceed 12 times a year.