East Suffolk line information

East Suffolk line
East Suffolk line
	156419 crossing a bridge near Boss Hall
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Network Rail
Locale	Suffolk,; East of England
Termini	Ipswich; Lowestoft;
Stations	12
Service
Type	Heavy rail
System	National Rail
Operator(s)	Greater Anglia
Rolling stock	Class 755 FLIRT; Former rolling stock:; British Rail classes 153, 156 and 170
History
Opened	1854
Technical
Line length	48 miles 75 chains (78.8 km)
Number of tracks	1-2
Character	Rural branch line
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Operating speed	55 mph (89 km/h)
Route map
	; (Click to expand)

East Suffolk line

Legend

Lowestoft

Yarmouth–Lowestoft line

to Yarmouth Beach

Wherry Lines

to Norwich

Lake Lothing

Lowestoft Harbour

Kirkley Goods Yard

Oulton Broad South

Yarmouth–Beccles line

to Yarmouth South Town

Waveney Valley line

to Tivetshall

Beccles

Brampton

Halesworth

Southwold Railway

to Southwold

River Blyth

Darsham

River Yox

Aldeburgh branch line

to Leiston nuclear transfer site

Saxmundham

Snape branch line

to Snape Maltings

River Alde

Framlingham branch

to Framlingham

Wickham Market

Melton

Woodbridge

Bealings

Felixstowe branch line

to Felixstowe

Westerfield

River Gipping

Great Eastern Main Line

to Norwich

Ipswich

Great Eastern Main Line

to Liverpool Street

The East Suffolk line is an un-electrified 49-mile secondary railway line running between Ipswich and Lowestoft in Suffolk, England. The traffic along the route consists of passenger services operated by Greater Anglia, while nuclear flask trains for the Sizewell nuclear power stations are operated by Direct Rail Services.

The Halesworth, Beccles and Haddiscoe Railway opened between those points in 1854, and the East Suffolk Railway took over and extended southwards to Ipswich and north and east to Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth, opening in 1859, and forming a more direct route to London from the coastal towns. There were branches to Framlingham, Snape Bridge and in 1860 to Aldeburgh. In 1862 the East Suffolk Railway company was folded into the new Great Eastern Railway.

The GER operated a successful passenger and goods train service, and with the development of seaside holidays in the latter part of the nineteenth century, and further in the twentieth, the seasonal passenger traffic increased considerably; goods traffic was limited by the predominantly rural and agricultural topography, with some notable pockets of industry, and considerable fishery traffic.

After 1945 use of the line declined and costs escalated sharply, and it appeared likely that the network would be closed, but the East Suffolk Railway main line was reprieved in 1966. Pioneering cost reduction measures were implemented from that time and in later years, and through express trains were moved to other routes. Sizewell nuclear power stations brought construction traffic to the line, and nuclear flasks are still handled at intervals. At present the line carries an hourly passenger service, consisting of British Rail class 755 bi-mode multiple units.

East Suffolk line information

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