News archive February 2002
Buses
replace trains between Norwich and Thetford
A major track renewal programme meant that from 11 - 15
February the Liverpool - Norwich service started and terminated at Thetford
and replacement buses shuttled between Thetford and Norwich. It was reported
that the emergency arrangements might continue into the following week.
SRA announces Greater Anglia franchise
The Anglia, Great Eastern, and West Anglia portion of
WAGN franchises are due to be combined from 2004 under the Strategic Rail
Authority’s new franchising plan Building A Better Railway released
in December. Inviting expressions of interest for the 'Greater Anglia' franchise,
which could last up to 15 years, SRA chairman Richard Bowker claimed that
better use could be made of available capacity, and the timetable planning
process and contractual relationships simplified, if just one TOC’s trains
used Liverpool Street station. The aim was, he said, to produce a more reliable
and attractive service for passengers. A separate management unit would be
established in Norwich to focus on local services in Norfolk and Suffolk.
GB Railways and FirstGroup have both stated that they intend to submit a
bid.
MP criticises Lynn’s parking
Rail passengers have sought the help of local MP Henry
Bellingham to try to get improvements at King’s Lynn station car park. At
a meeting with Dominic Booth, managing director of WAGN Railways, Mr Bellingham
described the situation as “completely out of control” especially now that
building development has removed the southern end of the car park.
Anglia bids to increase local services
Anglia Railways announced on January 10th that it is preparing
a bid of several million pounds under the SRA’s Rail Partnership Plan.
If successful, the move would result in major improvements to local train
services in East Anglia from October 2003. While the bid is not directly
connected with the region’s franchise renewal (see SRA announces Greater
Anglia franchise above) AR admitted that it might persuade the SRA that
it has “the right ideas for the region” The plans, which have the backing
of several local councils, would bring six new two-car 100mph dmus to the
AR fleet and add 60 train services a day to the current Monday-Saturday
timetable. They include the following improvements to train services in
Norfolk:
* Doubling the Norwich
to Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft services to half-hourly (Mon - Sat)
* 4 extra evening services between Norwich and Sheringham (Mon - Sat).
* 2 extra teatime services between Norwich and North Walsham (Mon -
Sat).
* Introduction of an hourly Norwich - Great Yarmouth and Norwich - Lowestoft
service (Sun).
* An earlier first train and later last train between Norwich and Sheringham
(Sun).
Lowestoft motorists fear that
doubling the service frequency will exacerbate the already serious delays
at Oulton Broad North level crossing, especially at peak hours.
Annual model show at Blyth-Jex
The Norwich Railway Heritage and Model Society will
be putting on their annual exhibition on Saturday 23rd March, from 10.30am
(10am for the disabled) until 5pm. There will be a host of layouts covering
all scales, as well as trade stands - and don’t forget to visit Hall 3
to see Graham Smith’s Tramway Miscellany. Among the heritage lines displaying
their wares in the three halls will be the Bure Valley, Mid-Norfolk and
Mid-Suffolk Railways.
Level crossing crashes disrupt services
Twice in December train services were seriously disrupted
after mishaps at level crossings. On the 6th a Peugeot car crashed into Burston
level crossing control box on the Norwich to London line. The automatic
barriers were damaged beyond repair and had to be manually operated, while
train drivers were instructed to stop at the crossing and then proceed with
extreme caution. As a result train services were delayed by 10 minutes
throughout the day.
Five days later a driver from Bury St Edmunds was taken to Addenbrooke's
Hospital, Cambridge, with serious head injuries after his Ford Escort van
collided with a Liverpool - Norwich dmu at the A1075 Wretham level crossing,
near Thetford. The damaged train obstructed the track for over seven hours,
and the road was closed until diesel from the dmu’s ruptured fuel pipes had
been cleared.
Sheringham station redevelopment plan published
Engineering consultants Ove Arup have reported to the
Bittern Line Partnership on the options for developing the North Norfolk
Railway’s Sheringham station. Under the recommended layout, Anglia services
to and from Norwich would normally use platform 3, allowing the NNR the
use of platforms 1 and 2.
Through trains from Cromer to Holt would use platform 3 and trains from
Holt to Cromer platform 2. However the extended footbridge and car park
in this proposal uses land which may not be available. North Norfolk District
Council and Norfolk County Council have set up a working party to consider
the various options outlined by Arup. NNDC have ruled out closing Station
Road so if the NNR is to join to the national network the level crossing
will need to be reinstated. Meanwhile work began in early January on the
£120,000 project to renew the wooden frame and glass of Sheringham
station’s platform canopy.
Brick by brick from Stalham to the NNR
The ex-M&GN station at Stalham has been donated
to the North Norfolk Railway. After the railway closed in 1959 it was used
as a Norfolk County Council depot. Now the site is to be developed, and
the Council has given the NNR the opportunity to re-use the structures.
The NNR plans to dismantle the station building (still with its original
fireplaces, cupboards and desks), the porters’ office and and some platform
edging and re-erect them at Holt. A volunteer working party aims to have
the station in use by the summer, and is seeking help, both physical and
financial, for the project.
Cathedrals Express runs to Norwich
Steam Dreams
, which runs successful steam-hauled tours to other cathedral cities
in southern England, has added Norwich to its list of destinations. The
firm will launch its 2002 season on Tuesday 9th April with a Norwich train.
It will leave Liverpool Street station at around 1115. Merchant Navy 4-6-2
no. 35005 Canadian Pacific is the likely motive power. The train will travel
out via Cambridge and Thetford and back via Stowmarket and Colchester, arriving
in London at around 2100hrs. Venice-Simplon Orient Express also plan to operate
London - Norwich day trips on Tuesdays at approximately monthly intervals
between March and October.
Mid-Norfolk becomes East Anglia’s longest
preserved line
Assisted by Breckland District Council, the MNR completed
the purchase of its “Northern Section” on 12th December. The 16-mile-long
MNR, stretching from Wymondham to about 500 yds north of North Elmham level
crossing, is now the longest preserved railway in East Anglia. Work has
begun to restore the line north of Dereham to operational condition.
GCR Photos sought by Bure Valley
The Bure Valley Railway, which carried a record 127,089
passengers in 2001 (nearly 10% up on the previous year), has decided to
contract out the completion of its 15” inch finescale Great Central 8K
class 2-8-0. The work will be done by Neil Simkins of Ashby-de-la-Zouch
and TMA Engineering of Birmingham. When finished, the locomotive will accompany
the quarter-scale steam crane at Aylsham station. GCR enthusiasts who have
photographs of the 8K class - 04 under the LNER’s classification - are asked
to contact the BVR at Aylsham Station, Norwich Road, Aylsham (tel: 01263
733858) as these may help with the project.
Lancashire repairs for B12
North Norfolk Railway-based B12 4-6-0 no. 61572 has
been taken to Ian Riley’s Bury engineering works for valve and piston overhaul.
It is scheduled to return to the NNR in time for Jubilee events in June.
Wells Harbour line’s progress
Which Norfolk railway runs a 20-min interval service
up to 11 o’clock at night? The answer is the Wells Harbour Railway, which
reports that, under its new ownership, more frequent services led to a satisfactory
2001 season. At busy periods trains ran every 15 minutes and “night trains”,
limited to bank holidays and school summer holidays, ran every 20 minutes.
In October the engine shed was re-wired to provide better working conditions
and lighting, and during the winter Pinewoods station will also see various
improvements.
Commuters’ fury as fares rise
To the anger of regular travellers, ticket prices on
the Norwich to London line were increased on January 1st despite “12 months
of quite appalling service”. An annual Norwich - London season ticket rose
by 9.8 per cent from £4480 to £4920, while Diss to London commuters
saw theirs go up 7.8 per cent from £4340 to £4680. The news
was better for the region's off-peak rail users. All Anglia Railways’ local
and leisure fares were frozen in a bid to boost passenger numbers after
a troubled year. Meanwhile, Norwich - Peterborough route operator Central
Trains raised standard tickets by 0.6 per cent and cheap day returns by
3.5 per cent.
MNR secures Freightliner loco for Enthusiasts'
Weekend
Freightliner Class 47 309 European Freight Operator
of the Year 1999 is to star at the Mid-Norfolk Railway’s Diesel Enthusiasts’
Weekend on 23-24 March. 47309 was recently re-instated to traffic and this
will be its first use on a passenger train for several years. It will join
at least three of the MNR’s resident locomotives (31235, D8069 & 50019
Ramillies) in an intensive timetable. One- and two-day Rover tickets will
be available.
WAGN introduces new travelcard
Peak-time rail passengers from King's Lynn can now buy
a travelcard costing £37.10, which includes unlimited bus, tube and
rail travel anywhere in London.
Region overlooked in Strategic Plan
Despite Norman Lamb, Liberal Democrat MP for North Norfolk,
calling for more investment in the London-Norwich rail link, our region
had little to celebrate in the SRA’s Strategic Plan. In the Plan,
which Transport Secretary Stephen Byers announced in Parliament on 14 January,
East Anglia was represented by just two Medium Term (2005 - 2010) projects:
the upgrading of freight routes from Felixstowe to take larger containers
which at present are transported by road; and Thameslink 2000 (the name
seemed appropriate some years back!) which will provide high frequency services
across Central London and link many destinations north of the Thames - including
King’s Lynn, we hope - with the south.
Electric first for Dereham
Yet another “first” was recorded by the Mid-Norfolk
Railway when it played host to a main-line electric loco. AR’s class 86/2
no 86252 Sheppard 100 , which caught fire near Colchester in December
(see last issue’s Track Report) has been withdrawn from service. Bereft
of nameplates and exhibiting large areas of scorched paintwork along each
side, it was towed on January 20th from Norwich’s Crown Point depot to Dereham
by EWS 47786 Roy Castle OBE. The shunting operation at Dereham was hampered
because the limited siding space was occupied by a large amount of stock,
notably the MNR’s rake of “Dogfish” ballast wagons and its second Class
31, no 31538, bought privately and moved to the railway from Carlisle late
last year. From Dereham 86252 was due to be taken by road to Glasgow. Was
this the first visit of a Class 86 to any heritage line?
AR and Hertfordshire start railtour programme
Working with sister company GB Railfreight and Hertfordshire
Rail Tours, Anglia Railways is to enter the charter train market. The new
arrangement will be launched with a Merrymaker excursion from Ipswich, Colchester,
Chelmsford and Shenfield (for M25) to York, where passengers will have about
six hours. The Standard fare is £22.50 (Junior £11.25). First
Class Gold is £85.00 (£320 for a party of four) including the
Great British Breakfast, morning coffee and a four course dinner. Further
details from Hertfordshire Rail Tours (tel: 01438 812125 or
www.traintrips.co.uk
).
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