Beccles railway station
Beccles ![]() | |
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Location | |
Place | Beccles |
Local authority | Waveney, Suffolk |
Coordinates | 52°27′31″N 1°34′11″E / 52.4586°N 1.5697°ECoordinates: 52°27′31″N 1°34′11″E / 52.4586°N 1.5697°E |
Grid reference | TM426904 |
Operations | |
Station code | BCC |
Managed by | Abellio Greater Anglia |
Owned by | Network Rail |
Number of platforms | 2 |
DfT category | F1 |
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries | |
Annual rail passenger usage* | |
2010/11 |
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2011/12 |
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2012/13 |
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2013/14 |
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2014/15 |
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History | |
Original company | East Suffolk Railway[1] |
Pre-grouping | Great Eastern Railway |
Post-grouping | London and North Eastern Railway |
4 December 1854 | Opened[1] |
31 January 1968 | Closed to freight |
10 December 2012 | Passing loop opened[2] |
National Rail – UK railway stations | |
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Beccles from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year. | |
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![](../I/m/Beccles_railway_station_1775340_30cfb1d4.jpg)
![](../I/m/Beccles_railway_station_with_Thompson_L1_2-6-4T_geograph-2878762-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg)
Beccles is a railway station on the East Suffolk Line and serves the town of Beccles in Suffolk, England. There is now an hourly service to both Lowestoft and Ipswich, all direct trains to London having been withdrawn since December 2010.
History
The East Suffolk Railway, opened in 1854 operating as far as Halesworth and the line was then extended to Ipswich and Great Yarmouth in 1859. The Beccles to Lowestoft line opened in the same year. The Waveney Valley Line from Tivetshall on the Great Eastern Main Line reached Beccles in 1863, making the town an important junction on the expanding Great Eastern Railway network.
The Waveney Valley Line closed to passengers in 1954 and the Yarmouth-Beccles Line closed to passengers in 1959. The Waveney Valley Line was then closed to freight traffic in 1963. The engine shed was demolished in 2006.
The island platform underwent restoration in 2012 in order to bring it back into use as part of a development to build a passing loop at the station. The loop and platform began operation on 10 December 2012.
Services
The following services currently call at Beccles:
- 1 train per hour local service between Ipswich and Lowestoft
From 9 December 2012, Beccles is served by an hourly service Monday to Saturday and service every 2 hours on a Sunday. Beccles is also the passing point for train services from this date.[3] This significant improvement in services has been key in increasing patronage at the station.
Beccles loop development
Work began in early 2010 to develop a passing loop at Beccles to allow hourly services to operate on the line. The lack of a double track to allow trains to pass north of Saxmundham had previously made this frequency of service impossible.
By March 2010 the single track at Beccles was renewed with continuously welded rail and concrete sleepers. The track was also realigned from the southern approach to the station to allow room for the Beccles Loop. The old track was lifted and placed alongside the disused platform and disposed of in late 2010. By March 2012 work had started to build the passing loop and by May of that year new turnout points were in place and work had begun on redeveloping the disused island platform. The old trackbed had also been removed.
Work was completed by December 2012 and enhanced services began on 10 December 2012.[4] The £4m scheme was jointly funded by Network Rail and Suffolk County Council.
References
- 1 2 Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0508-1. OCLC 60251199.
- ↑ https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/News-Releases/7220/New-hourly-service-on-East-Suffolk-line
- ↑ http://www.greateranglia.co.uk/timetables/download/771
- ↑ Suffolk: Problems remain as Beccles rail loop opens on East Suffolk line, East Anglian Daily Times, 2012-12-10. Retrieved 2012-12-10.
External links
- Train times and station information for Beccles railway station from National Rail
Preceding station | ![]() |
Following station | ||
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Abellio Greater Anglia | ||||
Disused railways | ||||
Line and station closed | Great Eastern Railway | Terminus | ||
Line and station closed | Great Eastern Railway | Terminus |