East Suffolk Line
Encyclopedia
The East Suffolk Line is an un-electrified secondary railway line running between Ipswich
and Lowestoft
in Suffolk
, England. The traffic along the route consists of passenger services operated by National Express East Anglia, while nuclear flask trains for the Sizewell nuclear power stations
are operated by Direct Rail Services
.
but works were delayed for financial reasons. The Ipswich & Bury Railway was absorbed by then Eastern Union Railway
in 1847.
The Halesworth, Beccles & Haddiscoe Railway was incorporated in 1851 and the first section of the East Suffolk line from Beccles
to Halesworth
was constructed by Peto Brassey & Betts. The East Suffolk railway, which had been incorporated on 3 July 1854, took over the powers of the Halesworth, Beccles & Haddiscoe Railway and the route opened on the 4 December 1854. It continued north to Haddiscoe
on what is now part of the Wherry Lines
.
On the 1 June 1859 the line was opened as far south as Ipswich and north to Great Yarmouth
. The Beccles to Lowestoft branch line was opened in the same year.
The Eastern Union Railway was amagamated with other companies into the Great Eastern Railway
in 1862.
The Beccles to Great Yarmouth section was closed in 1959, exactly one hundred years after it had been opened. The rest of the line was then threatened with complete closure as part of the Beeching Axe
in the early 1960s however ecomonies in the operation of the line ensured its future. The first ecomony was that all stations were destaffed in the late 1960s. The line was resignalled in 1984 using the Radio Electronic Token Block
resulting in the closure of all signal boxes.. Also, to ensure the line's survival, parts of the remaining line were reduced to single track to minimize maintenance costs.
Railtrack
, Now known as Network Rail, became responsible for the infrastructure maintenance in 1994.
The operation of the line was privatised in 1997 when the franchise was awarded to Anglia Railways
who operated it until April 2004 when National Express East Anglia won the replacement franchise operating under the brand name 'One' until February 2008.
"The government is set to tell the new franchise-holder that the hourly services on the Ipswich to Cambridge and Ipswich to Felixstowe lines will have to be retained - and there will have to be an hourly service on the East Suffolk line to Lowestoft once the Beccles loop is installed within the next few years."
As of December 2010, through services from Lowestoft
to London Liverpool Street were no longer operated, mainly to free up capacity on the main line south of Ipswich.
In January 2010 it was announced that an hourly service would be introduced following the completion of the passing loop at Beccles (see below)
, Saxmundham
, Halesworth
, Beccles
to Lowestoft and other intermediate stations. It connects with the following operational lines: Great Eastern Main Line
, the Felixstowe Branch Line
, Aldeburgh Branch Line (freight only) and the Wherry Lines
.
of W10 between Ipswich and Westerfield and W6 for all other sections, and a line speed of between 40-55 mph.
The section from Westerfield to Oulton Broad is signalled using Radio Electronic Token Block
controlled from Saxmundham, and is the only line in England to use this system (the system is used elsewhere in the UK in both Wales and Scotland).
The route sees a regular two-hourly passenger service running between Ipswich
and Lowestoft
usually operated by Class 170 diesel multiple units. This service used to run all the way to London Liverpool Street but was stopped to enable longer electric trains to be used south of Ipswich. From December 2010, a twice hourly service was introduced between Ipswich
and Saxmundham
, providing an hourly service for part of the route with only the single track restricting its contiuation up to Lowestoft
. This is usually operated by a Class 153
unit.
Under Network Rail
planning the line is part of Strategic Route 7.
The section between Ipswich and Westerfield is a part of SRS 07.12 and is classified as secondary line with the remainder of the line being part of SRS 07.11 and classified as rural.
A £25K feasibility study was completed during 2008 and it was proposed that a new section of track and points would be laid at Beccles Station using existing railway land in a way that would allow Network Rail to refurbish the currently disused central platform (there had originally been four tracks). The cost of the project was expected to be £5 million and work could be completed by 2012.
In May 2010 it was suggested that Network Rail was due to install a passing loop at Beccles by May 2012.
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
and Lowestoft
Lowestoft
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, England. The traffic along the route consists of passenger services operated by National Express East Anglia, while nuclear flask trains for the Sizewell nuclear power stations
Sizewell nuclear power stations
Sizewell nuclear power stations are two nuclear power stations located near the small fishing village of Sizewell in Suffolk, England. Sizewell A, with two magnox reactors, is now in the process of being decommissioned, while Sizewell B has a single pressurised water reactor and is the UK's newest...
are operated by Direct Rail Services
Direct Rail Services
Direct Rail Services is a freight operating company created by British Nuclear Fuels Limited. The company started rail operations in 1995 using five heavily refurbished Class 20/3 diesel locomotives. Since then it has expanded greatly, and has acquired many more locomotives, most bought...
.
History
In about 1847 the Ipswich & Bury Railway had secured the rights to build the line from Ipswich to WoodbridgeWoodbridge, Suffolk
Woodbridge is a town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England. It is in the East of England, not far from the coast. It lies along the River Deben, with a population of about 7,480. The town is served by Woodbridge railway station on the Ipswich-Lowestoft East Suffolk Line. Woodbridge is twinned with...
but works were delayed for financial reasons. The Ipswich & Bury Railway was absorbed by then Eastern Union Railway
Eastern Union Railway
The Eastern Union Railway was an early English railway, initially sanctioned by Act of Parliament on 19 July 1844, with authorised capital of £200,000 to build from Ipswich to Colchester. Further Acts of 21 July 1845 and 26 June 1846 authorised further increases in capital of £50,000 and £20,000...
in 1847.
The Halesworth, Beccles & Haddiscoe Railway was incorporated in 1851 and the first section of the East Suffolk line from Beccles
Beccles
Beccles is a market town and civil parish in the Waveney District of the English county of Suffolk. The town is shown on the milestone as from London via the A145 Blythburgh and A12 road, northeast of London as the crow flies, southeast of Norwich, and north northeast of the county town of...
to Halesworth
Halesworth
Halesworth is a small market town in the northeastern corner of Suffolk, England. It is located south west of Lowestoft, and straddles the River Blyth, 9 miles upstream from Southwold. The town is served by Halesworth railway station on the Ipswich-Lowestoft East Suffolk Line...
was constructed by Peto Brassey & Betts. The East Suffolk railway, which had been incorporated on 3 July 1854, took over the powers of the Halesworth, Beccles & Haddiscoe Railway and the route opened on the 4 December 1854. It continued north to Haddiscoe
Haddiscoe
Haddiscoe is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated some 30 km south-east of the city of Norwich, but only 10 km west of the Suffolk town of Lowestoft.The civil parish has an area of...
on what is now part of the Wherry Lines
Wherry Lines
The Wherry Lines are railway lines in England, from Norwich to Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft. These lines pass through The Broads. The line is part of the Network Rail Strategic Route 7, SRS 07.11 and is classified as a rural line...
.
On the 1 June 1859 the line was opened as far south as Ipswich and north to Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
. The Beccles to Lowestoft branch line was opened in the same year.
The Eastern Union Railway was amagamated with other companies into the Great Eastern Railway
Great Eastern Railway
The Great Eastern Railway was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia...
in 1862.
The Beccles to Great Yarmouth section was closed in 1959, exactly one hundred years after it had been opened. The rest of the line was then threatened with complete closure as part of the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
in the early 1960s however ecomonies in the operation of the line ensured its future. The first ecomony was that all stations were destaffed in the late 1960s. The line was resignalled in 1984 using the Radio Electronic Token Block
Radio Electronic Token Block
Radio Electronic Token Block is a system of railway signalling used in the United Kingdom. It is a development of the physical token system for controlling traffic on single lines.- How it works :...
resulting in the closure of all signal boxes.. Also, to ensure the line's survival, parts of the remaining line were reduced to single track to minimize maintenance costs.
Railtrack
Railtrack
Railtrack was a group of companies that owned the track, signalling, tunnels, bridges, level crossings and all but a handful of the stations of the British railway system from its formation in April 1994 until 2002...
, Now known as Network Rail, became responsible for the infrastructure maintenance in 1994.
The operation of the line was privatised in 1997 when the franchise was awarded to Anglia Railways
Anglia Railways
Anglia Railways was a British train operating company, owned by GB Railways, which between 5 January 1997 and 31 March 2004 operated mainline trains out of London Liverpool Street station and a number of local rail services in East Anglia....
who operated it until April 2004 when National Express East Anglia won the replacement franchise operating under the brand name 'One' until February 2008.
"The government is set to tell the new franchise-holder that the hourly services on the Ipswich to Cambridge and Ipswich to Felixstowe lines will have to be retained - and there will have to be an hourly service on the East Suffolk line to Lowestoft once the Beccles loop is installed within the next few years."
As of December 2010, through services from Lowestoft
Lowestoft
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
to London Liverpool Street were no longer operated, mainly to free up capacity on the main line south of Ipswich.
In January 2010 it was announced that an hourly service would be introduced following the completion of the passing loop at Beccles (see below)
Route
The line runs north from Ipswich via WoodbridgeWoodbridge, Suffolk
Woodbridge is a town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England. It is in the East of England, not far from the coast. It lies along the River Deben, with a population of about 7,480. The town is served by Woodbridge railway station on the Ipswich-Lowestoft East Suffolk Line. Woodbridge is twinned with...
, Saxmundham
Saxmundham
Saxmundham is a small market town in Suffolk, England. It is set in the valley of the River Fromus, a tributary of the River Alde, approximately northeast of Ipswich and west of the coast at Sizewell. The town is bypassed by the A12 and is served by Saxmundham railway station on the East Suffolk...
, Halesworth
Halesworth
Halesworth is a small market town in the northeastern corner of Suffolk, England. It is located south west of Lowestoft, and straddles the River Blyth, 9 miles upstream from Southwold. The town is served by Halesworth railway station on the Ipswich-Lowestoft East Suffolk Line...
, Beccles
Beccles
Beccles is a market town and civil parish in the Waveney District of the English county of Suffolk. The town is shown on the milestone as from London via the A145 Blythburgh and A12 road, northeast of London as the crow flies, southeast of Norwich, and north northeast of the county town of...
to Lowestoft and other intermediate stations. It connects with the following operational lines: Great Eastern Main Line
Great Eastern Main Line
The Great Eastern Main Line is a 212 Kilometre major railway line of the British railway system, which connects Liverpool Street in the City of London with destinations in east London and the East of England, including Chelmsford, Colchester, Ipswich, Norwich and several coastal resorts such as...
, the Felixstowe Branch Line
Felixstowe Branch Line
The Felixstowe Branch Line is a railway line from Ipswich to Felixstowe in Suffolk. The line follows the East Suffolk Line from Ipswich to Westerfield, and then diverges to the south. Passenger services are operated by National Express East Anglia...
, Aldeburgh Branch Line (freight only) and the Wherry Lines
Wherry Lines
The Wherry Lines are railway lines in England, from Norwich to Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft. These lines pass through The Broads. The line is part of the Network Rail Strategic Route 7, SRS 07.11 and is classified as a rural line...
.
Infrastructure
The line is double-track from Ipswich to Woodbridge and from Saxmundham to Halesworth with the rest of the route being single track. The line is not Electrified, has a loading gaugeLoading gauge
A loading gauge defines the maximum height and width for railway vehicles and their loads to ensure safe passage through bridges, tunnels and other structures...
of W10 between Ipswich and Westerfield and W6 for all other sections, and a line speed of between 40-55 mph.
The section from Westerfield to Oulton Broad is signalled using Radio Electronic Token Block
Radio Electronic Token Block
Radio Electronic Token Block is a system of railway signalling used in the United Kingdom. It is a development of the physical token system for controlling traffic on single lines.- How it works :...
controlled from Saxmundham, and is the only line in England to use this system (the system is used elsewhere in the UK in both Wales and Scotland).
The route sees a regular two-hourly passenger service running between Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
and Lowestoft
Lowestoft
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
usually operated by Class 170 diesel multiple units. This service used to run all the way to London Liverpool Street but was stopped to enable longer electric trains to be used south of Ipswich. From December 2010, a twice hourly service was introduced between Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
and Saxmundham
Saxmundham
Saxmundham is a small market town in Suffolk, England. It is set in the valley of the River Fromus, a tributary of the River Alde, approximately northeast of Ipswich and west of the coast at Sizewell. The town is bypassed by the A12 and is served by Saxmundham railway station on the East Suffolk...
, providing an hourly service for part of the route with only the single track restricting its contiuation up to Lowestoft
Lowestoft
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
. This is usually operated by a 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...
unit.
Under 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...
planning the line is part of Strategic Route 7.
The section between Ipswich and Westerfield is a part of SRS 07.12 and is classified as secondary line with the remainder of the line being part of SRS 07.11 and classified as rural.
Beccles loop
The current service is well used and operates a two-hourly service. The extensive sections of single track make it impossible to increase the frequency and studies have been made as to how to adapt the line to allow a more frequent service. Proposals for a passing loop at Beccles, costed at between £500K and £4 million are now at an advanced stage. If completed it would allow an hourly service to be operated between Lowestoft and Ipswich.A £25K feasibility study was completed during 2008 and it was proposed that a new section of track and points would be laid at Beccles Station using existing railway land in a way that would allow Network Rail to refurbish the currently disused central platform (there had originally been four tracks). The cost of the project was expected to be £5 million and work could be completed by 2012.
In May 2010 it was suggested that Network Rail was due to install a passing loop at Beccles by May 2012.