91-596: Ipswich railway station is on the Great Eastern Main Line in the East of England , serving the town of Ipswich , Suffolk. It is 68 miles 59 chains (110.6 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and, on the main line, it is situated between Manningtree to the south and Needham Market to the north. Ipswich is also the terminus of the East Suffolk Line to Lowestoft ,
182-587: A Traffic Apprenticeship Scheme to attract graduates, train young managers and provide supervision by assistant general manager Robert Bell for career planning. The company adopted a regional managerial system, with general managers based in London, York and Edinburgh, and for a short time, Aberdeen. For passenger services, Sir Nigel Gresley , the Chief Mechanical Engineer built new powerful locomotives and new coaches. Later developments such as
273-522: A branch line to Felixstowe and a regional cross-country route to Ely , Cambridgeshire. Its three-letter station code is IPS. The station is operated by Greater Anglia , which also operates all trains serving it, as part of the East Anglia franchise . The Eastern Union Railway (EUR) opened its first terminus in Ipswich, called Ipswich Stoke Hill , in 1846 on Station Road at the other end of
364-503: A combination of Smiths clamp-lock and GEC-Alsthom HW2000 point machines. The first signal box to be closed and transferred to Liverpool Street IECC was Shenfield in 1992, which had only opened 10 years earlier. The last boxes to be transferred were at Romford and Gidea Park in 1998; these were the oldest of those being transferred, having been opened under the GER/LNER 1924 resignalling scheme. A number of fatal accidents have occurred on
455-467: A fourth track was added between Bow Junction and Stratford and two goods-only tracks were added between Stratford and Maryland Point . The four-track Bow Junction to Stratford section was extended back to James Street Junction (near Globe Road station which opened the same year) in 1884, but Bethnal Green to James Street did not follow until 1891. It was also in this year that two extra tracks were added between Bethnal Green and Liverpool Street which were for
546-541: A free hand. William Barribal designed a series of bold Art Deco posters in the 1920s and 1930s. When Teasdale was promoted to Assistant General Manager, this philosophy was carried on by Cecil Dandridge who succeeded him and was the Advertising Manager until nationalisation in 1948. Dandridge was largely responsible for the adoption of the Gill Sans typeface, later adopted by British Railways. The LNER
637-513: A headboard with the wording "First Diesel Hauled train on the GE in public service". These were succeeded by Class 37 and Class 47 up until electrification in the mid-1980s when Class 86 took over, followed by Class 90 locomotives from 2003. Local services in the diesel era were worked by Diesel Multiple Units , although smaller diesel locomotives such as Class 31 worked local trains such as Ipswich - Birmingham and Ipswich - Cambridge during
728-726: A short-lived temporary terminus at Devonshire Street in the East End of London and Romford , then in the Havering Liberty in Essex. The London terminus was moved in July 1840 to Shoreditch (later renamed Bishopsgate), after 1900 in the Metropolitan Borough of Bethnal Green , and at the eastern end the line was extended 6 miles (9.7 km) out to Brentwood in the same year. A further 34 miles (55 km) of track
819-521: A spur to allow some trains to operate into Norwich (Thorpe) station was opened to regular traffic in November 1851. In the late 19th century, the double-track main line was expanded with additional tracks being added to cope with more traffic. In 1854, a third track was added between Bow Junction and Stratford to help accommodate London, Tilbury and Southend Railway services which at that time were operating via Stratford. Until 1860, trains serving
910-552: A tunnel through central London and link up with the Great Western Main Line to Reading and Heathrow Airport . The first new Class 345 rolling stock entered service on the service on 22 June 2017. The new trains, built at Bombardier's Derby factory, provide air conditioned walk-through carriages, intelligent lighting and temperature control, closed-circuit television and passenger information displays showing travel information, including about onward journeys. It
1001-446: A wooden goods shed where goods for the town were loaded or unloaded. Cattle pens were also located close to this yard (traffic ceased in the 1960s) and there was a siding to Constantine Road power station. A small engine shed was located in this area for locomotives that worked in the docks (although they were officially allocated to Ipswich engine shed ). At the east end of the yard the railway lines crossed over Bridge Street (which until
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#17328019737071092-421: A £1 million scheme. Passenger train services to and from Ipswich have always been dominated by the main line to London Liverpool Street but traffic to the north serves lines to Bury St Edmunds , Norwich , and also the East Suffolk Line for Great Yarmouth South Town and later to Lowestoft where through-trains operated until the 1980s and were briefly revived in the early part of the 21st century, although
1183-418: Is 100 mph (160 km/h). The main line is electrified at 25 kV AC using overhead wires and comes under the control of Romford Electrical Control Room. The branches to Upminster , Southend Victoria , Southminster , Braintree , Clacton-on-Sea , Walton-on-the-Naze and Harwich Town are also electrified. Between Romford and Chadwell Heath , there is a Network Rail maintenance depot adjacent to
1274-671: Is served by Liverpool Street, and areas in east London, including the Docklands financial district via the London Underground and Docklands Light Railway connections at Stratford . The line is also heavily used by leisure travellers, as it and its branches serve a number of seaside resorts, shopping areas and countryside destinations. The route also provides the main artery for substantial freight traffic to and from Felixstowe and Harwich , via their respective branch lines. Trains from Southend Airport also run into London via
1365-582: The British Railways Eastern Region. By the late 1970s, the costs of running the dated mechanical signalling systems north of Colchester was recognised and, in 1978, a scheme for track rationalisation and re-signalling was duly submitted to the Department of Transport. This was followed by a proposal to electrify the Great Eastern Main Line in 1980. The early 1980s saw track rationalisation and signalling work carried out in
1456-524: The Department for Transport awarded the new franchise to Abellio , the services formerly operated by National Express transferring to Greater Anglia in February 2012. Abellio then became responsible for the operation of Ipswich station. There is an avoiding line between the lines that serve the main through platforms 2 and 3. Prior to electrification there were two short sidings at the London end of
1547-469: The East of England , including Shenfield , Chelmsford , Colchester , Ipswich and Norwich . Its numerous branches also connect the main line to Southminster , Braintree , Sudbury , Harwich and a number of coastal towns including Southend-on-Sea , Clacton-on-Sea , Walton-on-the-Naze and Lowestoft . Its main users are commuters travelling to and from London, particularly the City of London , which
1638-693: The Fairlop Loop opened and a number of services that had previously terminated at Ilford were extended onto it. These services generally looped round and back to the GEML at Stratford (on the Cambridge line platforms). The GER was grouped in 1923 into the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER). In 1931–32, the LNER quadrupled the tracks to Shenfield which became the terminus for inner-suburban operation. In
1729-542: The Great Eastern Railway (GER) was formed out of the consolidation. From November 1872, Bishopsgate (Low Level) became a temporary terminus to relieve the main high level Bishopsgate station while the GER was building its new permanent terminus at Liverpool Street . The latter opened in stages from February 1874, beginning with the first four platforms, until it was fully open from November 1875. At that time
1820-455: The Ipswich to Ely Line opening as far as Bury St. Edmunds in late 1846. The station was re-sited to its present location in 1860. Some sources suggest that the main building was thought to be principally the work of Peter Bruff , who had certainly started the structure. Architect Sancton Wood (1816-1886) won a competition to design the new station and it may have been his design. However
1911-692: The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS), the LNER was co-owner of the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway , the UK's biggest joint railway, much of which competed with the LNER's own lines. The M&GNJR was incorporated into the LNER in 1936. In 1933, on the formation of the London Passenger Transport Board , the LNER acquired the remaining operations of the Metropolitan Railway Company. The LNER
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#17328019737072002-560: The North London Line and Temple Mills. The GEML has six tracks up to the London-end of Stratford and the junction to Temple Mills; there are five lines through the station, dropping to four at the country end. At Shenfield , the line to Southend Victoria diverges and the main line route drops from four tracks to two; this arrangement continues for the vast majority of the way to Norwich. There are several locations where
2093-550: The architectural series started by Nikolaus Pevsner states: “The present station opened in 1860. By Robert Sinclair, the Eastern Counties Railway’s engineer, although Gordon Biddle suggests the design may have been Peter Bruff’s. Called ‘graceful and pretty’ in the Handbook of 1864. Perhaps it struck people as that when it was new. White and red brick, with round-arched windows, low and spreading. The buildings on
2184-566: The "Stoke Bone Beds". The finds are considered important in understanding climate change during the Ice Age . This tunnel had the trackbed lowered so the line could accommodate taller freight trains. Steam-hauled inter-city trains on the London-Norwich service were replaced by diesel power in the 1960s; locomotives from classes 40 , 37 and 47 hauled services until the mid-1980s. Electric locomotives replaced diesel haulage from
2275-413: The "up" platform which were used for locomotive changes on up trains when required. Platforms 3 and 4 can be accessed via the footbridge or lift. Opposite platform 4 is a stabling point used by Freightliner diesel and electric locomotives. Classes 66 , 70 , 86 and 90 are the most common, although locomotives of other companies have been known to use the point in the past. In July 2019 Freightliner
2366-469: The 1930s, a flyover was constructed just west of Ilford to switch the main and electric lines over, to enable main line trains to utilise Liverpool Street's longer west side platforms without having to cross east side suburban traffic in the station throat. The new arrangement also facilitated cross-platform interchange with the Central line at Stratford , with services commencing in 1946. Either side of
2457-752: The 1980s was the first road crossing over the River Orwell) and from 1903 there was a tram line necessitating special signaling arrangements between the two systems. Great Eastern Main Line The Great Eastern Main Line ( GEML , sometimes referred to as the East Anglia Main Line ) is a 114.5-mile (184.3 km) major railway line on the British railway system which connects Liverpool Street station in central London with destinations in east London and
2548-506: The 1980s. Former train operating company Anglia Railways ran services known as London Crosslink from Norwich to Basingstoke via Stratford . This service started in 2000 and ended in 2002, employing British Rail Class 170 DMUs. In January 2020, the Class 745 FLIRT multiple unit sets began entering service to replace the Class 90 hauled sets. Following the introduction of these units,
2639-495: The 1990s saw this service terminated at Peterborough . Another long-distance working was from Colchester to York via Lincoln , which ran for a number of years. Throughout the steam era trains were predominantly hauled by Great Eastern Railway locomotives and, indeed, when steam ended in Suffolk in 1960, some of these locomotives were still operated. After the grouping of 1923, LNER designed locomotives were also employed in
2730-598: The East Coast Main Line was won by Sea Containers Ltd , who named the new operating company Great North Eastern Railway (GNER), a name and initials deliberately chosen to echo the LNER. Following the collapse of Virgin Trains East Coast in May 2018, the newly-nationalised operator of the East Coast Main Line was named London North Eastern Railway to evoke the earlier company. During the 1930s,
2821-662: The East Midlands and Yorkshire to the north east of England and Scotland. The 1923 grouping meant that former rivals within the LNER had to work together. The task of creating an instantly recognisable public image went to William M. Teasdale, the first advertising manager. Teasdale was influenced by the philosophies and policies of Frank Pick , who controlled the style and content of the London Underground's widely acclaimed poster advertising. Teasdale did not confine his artists within strict guidelines but allowed them
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2912-468: The East Suffolk, Norwich and Cambridge lines. One interesting working in the 1920s and 1930s was a train that operated from Sheffield via Worksop , Spalding , March and Ely to Felixstowe during the summer months. By far the most interesting working was the “Boat Train” which operated between Harwich Parkeston Quay and various destinations until the 1990s. The privatisation of British Rail in
3003-561: The GE section and, in summer 1951, the Liverpool Street–Norwich service went over to an hourly clockface interval service. The British Railways 1955 Modernisation Plan called for overhead line systems in Great Britain to be standardised at 25 kV AC. However, due to low clearances under bridges, the route was electrified at 6.25 kV AC. The section between Liverpool Street and Southend Victoria
3094-551: The GEML formed part of the Eastern Region of British Railways . The Summer 1950 timetable saw the introduction of a regular interval service between Liverpool Street and Clacton, which left Liverpool Street on the half-hour and Clacton on the hour. Summer Saturdays in 1950 also saw the introduction of the Holiday Camps Express workings to Gorleston, near Lowestoft. The latter half of 1950 and early 1951 saw
3185-541: The GEML. The Elizabeth line, which fully opened in November 2022, operates services from Shenfield to London Paddington via Liverpool Street , connecting Essex with Central London and West London . Additionally, it provides a direct rail link between the GEML and the Great Western Main Line . The first section of the line, built by the Eastern Counties Railway (ECR), opened in June 1839 between
3276-614: The Great Eastern Main Line, with its easy access to the Port of Felixstowe . A pool of Class 90s, including most of the locomotives that operated inter-city services on the GEML, provide electric haulage with Class 66 and Class 70 providing diesel power. In 2015, TfL Rail , the precursor of Crossrail , took over operation of the Shenfield stopping "metro" service and, from 2022, the full Crossrail service will run via
3367-533: The Ilford flyover there are single-track connections between each pair of lines, with the westbound track extending to Manor Park and just beyond. The eastbound track extends as far as Ilford station. It was also envisaged that a flyover would be built at the country-end of the carriage sidings at Gidea Park to allow trains bound for the Southend line to change from the main line to the electric line, instead of at
3458-511: The Ipswich and Bury Railway, built a line to Bury St Edmunds and this was completed in November 1846. Both companies shared the same office, many directors and key staff, and started operating as a unified company with the EUR name from 1 January 1847. An extension from a new junction at Haughley to Norwich Victoria opened in December 1849, although the position of the latter station was poor and
3549-441: The Ipswich and Norwich areas were operated by Regional Railways . Between 1997 and 2004, services into Essex and some into Suffolk were operated by First Great Eastern , whilst services into Norfolk and other Suffolk services were operated by Anglia Railways . Between 2004 and 2012, services out of Liverpool Street, except for a limited number of c2c trains, were all operated by National Express East Anglia . Since 2012,
3640-431: The Ipswich area and, on 9 April 1985, the first electric train consisting of two Class 305 electric multiple units (EMUs) worked into Ipswich station. The previous year, another member of the class had been dragged to Ipswich by a diesel locomotive and was used for crew training. The first passenger carrying train was formed of Class 309 EMUs, which ran on 17 April 1985. InterCity electric-hauled trains commenced on
3731-482: The Ipswich area and, on 9 April 1985, the first electric train consisting of two Class 305 electric multiple units (EMU) worked into Ipswich station. The previous year another member of the class had been dragged to Ipswich by a diesel locomotive and was used for crew training. The first passenger carrying train was formed of British Rail Class 309 EMUs which ran on 17 April 1985. The plan was for most trains to be formed of British Rail Class 86 locomotives which, until
Ipswich railway station - Misplaced Pages Continue
3822-805: The Jutsums Lane overbridge. In addition, at the London-end of the depot, is Network Rail's Electrical Control Room that controls the supply and switching of the overhead line system for the whole of the former Anglia Region. Signalling is controlled by two main signalling centres: Liverpool Street IECC (opened in 1992) and Colchester PSB (opened in December 1983). Liverpool Street IECC controls signalling up to Marks Tey , where it fringes with Colchester PSB, which has control to Norwich . There are also several small signal boxes that control local infrastructure, such as Ingatestone box, which has jurisdiction over several local level crossings. Line-side train monitoring equipment includes hot axle box detectors (HABD) on
3913-554: The LMS and the Corporation. In 1935, with the LMS, Wilson Line of Hull and others it formed the shipping company Associated Humber Lines Ltd. In 1938 it was reported that the LNER, with 800 mechanical horse tractors, was the world's largest owner of this vehicle type. The LNER operated a number of ships , including three rail ferries . In total, 6 turbine and 36 other steamers, and river boats and lake steamers were used by
4004-515: The London-end of Shenfield as they do now. Plans were drawn up in the 1930s to electrify the suburban lines from Liverpool Street to Shenfield at 1,500 V DC and work was started on implementing this. However, the outbreak of the Second World War brought the project to a temporary halt and it was not until 1949 that the scheme was completed with electrification being extended to Chelmsford in 1956. During World War II ,
4095-823: The ageing Class 86s and rolling stock was updated with refurbished former West Coast Main Line Mark 3 coaches, following the introduction of the Class 390 Pendolino stock on that route. By March 2020, new Class 745 EMUs had fully replaced Class 90 and Mark 3 coaches; thereby ending locomotive operation on the inter-city services on the Great Eastern Main Line. Electric multiple units are used for inner and outer suburban passenger trains and diesel multiple units are used on non-electrified branch lines. The main passenger units utilised are: On weekends and when engineering work occurs, c2c run services into Liverpool Street via Stratford using Class 357 electric multiple units (EMU). Freight services also operate frequently on
4186-531: The area with the B17 4-6-0 class working many main line services. After nationalisation in 1948, British Railways introduced the Britannia class 4-6-2 class which worked main line services until succeeded by diesels in the late 1950s. East Anglia was the first area to be worked completely by diesel trains with Class 40s taking over main line express workings. The first one of these ran in June 1958, complete with
4277-467: The beginning of World War I , soldiers of the Norfolk Yeomanry regiment were deployed to Ipswich to guard key railway bridges in the area. They were relieved by the 9th field company Royal Engineers . In 1923, the GER amalgamated with other railways to form the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER). On 30 April 1932, the LNER arranged an exhibition of railway stock at Ipswich. The show
4368-534: The collection of the St Bride Library . Gill Sans was retained by the Railway Executive in 1948, although modified for signage, and Gill Sans was the official typeface until British Rail replaced it in the mid 1960s with Rail Alphabet for signs and Helvetica or Univers for printed matter. Continental shipping services were provided from Harwich Parkeston Quay. The company took up
4459-663: The company during its existence. The most common liveries were lined apple green on passenger locomotives (much lighter and brighter than the green used by the Great Western Railway ) and unlined black on freight locomotives, both with gold lettering. Passenger carriages were generally varnished teak (wood) finish; the few metal-panelled coaches were painted to represent teak. Some special trains and A4 Pacific locomotives were painted differently, including silver-grey and garter blue. The LNER covered quite an extensive area of Britain, from London through East Anglia,
4550-544: The construction of a new vehicle maintenance facility (VMF) which opened in August 2022 with freight locomotives now stabling in the Upper Yard/East Suffolk Junction area. Another branch further to the north crossed over Ranelagh Road to a headshunt and then served a warehouse. This was built circa 1920 and was at one time going to be a new route into Ipswich docks avoiding the level crossing on
4641-435: The current tunnel, close to the old quay for the steamboats and the aptly named Steamboat Tavern. The Ipswich Steam Navigation Company had been formed in 1824/25 during a period of "steamship mania" and briefly offered services from the quay between Ipswich and London calling at Walton-on-the-Naze . The current station is just to the north of Stoke tunnel , which was constructed by the Ipswich & Bury Railway as part of
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#17328019737074732-535: The docks. In 2021 only the Upper Yard is open. This is located between Ipswich and East Suffolk Junction on the east side of the line. The yard is still active (as of 2018) with Freightliner (container) trains recessing or running round before running to/from the docks at Felixstowe. In the past a branch from this yard ran down and across Ranelagh Road, crossed the River Gipping to Ipswich Lower Yard and
4823-409: The down main and down electric lines near Brentwood (17 miles 35 chains from Liverpool Street) and on the up main near Margaretting (25 miles 78 chains). Other equipment includes wheel impact load detectors (WILD) ‘Wheelchex’ on the down main and up main west of Church Lane level crossing (24 miles 75 chains). On leaving Liverpool Street, the route comprises two pairs of tracks, known as the mains and
4914-402: The eastern part of Ipswich docks but traffic ceased in circa 1990. The remains of the branch line are still visible today (2018). In the main yard a transhipment shed existed for a number of years where small consignments were transferred between wagons; there was no public or road access to this facility, which closed in 1951. Local and regional freight trains serving local stations as well as
5005-550: The electrics, with a further pair of tracks, the suburbans, which carry the West Anglia Main Line alongside the GEML to Bethnal Green . From Bethnal Green, the GEML has four lines to Bow junction, where there is a complex set of switches and crossings. A line from the LTS (Fenchurch Street) route joins the "up" (London-bound) electric and there are a further two lines, the "up" and "down" Temple Mills, giving access to
5096-533: The franchise has been operated by Abellio Greater Anglia ; in May 2015, the Shenfield "metro" stopping service transferred to TfL Rail , as a precursor to Elizabeth Line services. Liverpool Street IECC replaced signal boxes at Bethnal Green (closed 1997), Bow (closed 1996), Stratford (GE panel closed 1997), Ilford (closed 1996), Romford (closed 1998), Gidea Park (closed 1998), Shenfield (closed 1992) and Chelmsford (closed 1994). The system uses BR Mark 3 solid state interlockings, predominantly four-aspect signals and
5187-528: The franchise was won by National Express East Anglia (operating under the 'one' brand, including 'one' Great Eastern and 'one' Anglia, until February 2008). In the five years between 2004–05 and 2008–09, patronage rose by 50% from 2 million per year to 3 million per year. Ticket barriers were installed in the station building in 2009 and the exit gate on platform 2 was closed permanently. New lifts, which had been promised for many years since they were removed in 1983, were opened in June 2011. In October 2011,
5278-399: The island platform, added in 1883, are much more ornate, with carved keystones, terracotta roundels and ironwork by Matthew T Shaw & Co, Millwall.” As built in 1860, the station had a single main through platform with some shorter bay platforms at the north end. When the new station was completed, a new road (Princes Street) linking the station to the town was also opened. By the 1860s,
5369-410: The late 1970s, the costs of running the dated mechanical signalling systems north of Colchester was recognised and, in 1978, a scheme for track rationalisation and re-signalling was duly submitted to the Department of Transport. This was followed by a proposal, in 1980, to electrify the remainder of the Great Eastern Main Line. The early 1980s saw track rationalisation and signalling work carried out in
5460-554: The likes of Heathrow Airport and Reading . Instead, these services start from Abbey Wood , The Elizabeth line's southeast branch. London and North Eastern Railway The London and North Eastern Railway ( LNER ) was the second largest (after LMS ) of the " Big Four " railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain. It operated from 1 January 1923 until nationalisation on 1 January 1948. At that time, it
5551-399: The line is immediately south of Ipswich station. The 361-yard (330 m) long tunnel was built by Peter Bruff as part of the Ipswich & Bury Railway . It was completed in 1846 and it is thought to be the earliest driven on a sharp continuous curve. During the excavation of the tunnel, many important fossils were discovered, including rhinoceros, lion and mammoth; the site was known as
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#17328019737075642-419: The line throughout its history: The line is owned and maintained by Network Rail . It is part of Network Rail Strategic Route 7 , which is composed of SRSs 07.01, 07.02 and 07.03, and is classified as a primary line. The GEML has a loading gauge of W10 between Liverpool Street and Haughley Junction (approximately 13 miles 63 chains north of Ipswich) and from there is W9 to Norwich . The maximum line speed
5733-460: The line to Norwich was electrified, would changeover with the Class 47s at Ipswich and this arrangement commenced from 1 May 1985. During 1985–87, the line to Norwich was electrified and through electric working commenced in May 1987. The station's original lifts were removed in 1983 when the line was electrified. Following the privatisation of British Rail , services from Ipswich were operated by Anglia Railways from 1997 until 2004, after which
5824-506: The loco-hauled sets have all been withdrawn from service, with the last Class 90 running passenger services on 24 March 2020. Class 90s are still operating Freightliner services along with Class 66 and Class 70 diesels and Class 86 electrics. The Class 8s were withdrawn in March 2021. The following services typically call at Ipswich: Ipswich had a number of goods facilities and a myriad of private sidings as well as extensive railways in
5915-477: The long-distance named trains were withdrawn, and these returned after the war with the reintroduction of the "Hook Continental" and "Scandinavian" boat trains to Harwich Parkeston Quay in 1945. The East Anglian (Liverpool Street – Norwich) was restored in October 1946, and in 1947 the "Day Continental" which pre-war had operated as the "Flushing Continental", recommenced operation. After nationalisation in 1948,
6006-592: The mid-1980s, when the remainder of the GEML was electrified north of Colchester; their utilisation continued until March 2020. Class 86 locomotives powered the service from 1985 until 2005, with rakes of Mark 2 coaches. Push-pull services were introduced during their tenure, initially using a DBSO coach at the Norwich end and latterly with Mark 3 Driving Van Trailers , cascaded from the West Coast Main Line . From 2004, Class 90 locomotives replaced
6097-769: The most westerly track and stations in Great Britain, in the form of the West Highland Railway to Arisaig and Mallaig , previously owned by the North British Railway. The LNER inherited four of London's termini: Fenchurch Street (ex- London and Blackwall Railway ; King's Cross (ex- Great Northern Railway ); Liverpool Street (ex- Great Eastern Railway ); and Marylebone (ex- Great Central Railway ). In addition, it ran suburban services to Broad Street ( London, Midland and Scottish Railway ) and Moorgate ( Metropolitan Railway , later London Transport ). The LNER owned: In partnership with
6188-508: The need for more commuter seats south of Colchester saw these terminating at Ipswich (with two daily services extended to Harwich International as of December 2019). Many minor local stations closed during the 1960s, as did branch lines to Framlingham and Aldeburgh . Branch services on the Felixstowe line have, with the exception of the first few years of that line's existence, started from Ipswich as have local stopping services on
6279-573: The offer in 1933 of government loans at low interest rates and electrified the lines from Manchester to Sheffield and Wath yard, and also commuter lines in the London suburban area. The LNER inherited: It took shares in a large number of bus companies, including for a time a majority stake in United Automobile Services Ltd. In Halifax and Sheffield , it participated in Joint Omnibus Committees with
6370-595: The original 1840 Bishopsgate station closed to passengers and was converted into a goods yard. By the 1870s, suburbia in the Forest Gate area was developing quickly and in 1872 suburban trains (this was the first distinctive suburban service on the main line as previously main line trains had performed this duty) terminated at a bay platform at Forest Gate . These were followed by trains from Fenchurch Street in 1877. By 1882, these services had been extended and were terminating at Ilford, Romford or Brentwood. In 1877,
6461-411: The other branch. The warehouse served a number of companies including Boots, J Lyons & Co, McFarLanes Biscuits, and Swift and Co. The site was also used to dump redundant permanent way materials and in the 1970s travelling circuses used the site. The bridge was demolished in 1967 and an abutment remains (in 2013). The rest of this site has been redeveloped with retail facilities. This yard contained
6552-559: The other goods facilities in the Ipswich area were re-marshalled in this yard. Regional destinations included Goodmayes and Temple Mills in London and Whitemoor (March) in Cambridgeshire. The yard was developed for longer trains during 2014 with improved access to and from the East Suffolk Line and longer sidings. The majority of trains are traffic to or from Felixstowe Docks. Further changes were made during 2021 with
6643-420: The public to visit the holiday destinations of the east coast in the summer. The company was nationalised in 1948 along with the rest of the railway companies of Great Britain to form British Railways . It continued to exist as a legal entity for nearly two more years, being formally wound up on 23 December 1949. On the privatisation of British Rail in 1996, the franchise to run long distance express trains on
6734-519: The railways in East Anglia were in financial trouble and most were leased to the Eastern Counties Railway (ECR). Although they wished to amalgamate formally, they could not obtain government agreement for this until 1862, when the Great Eastern Railway (GER) was formed by the amalgamation. The island platform at Ipswich was added by the GER in 1883. In 1883 an island platform was opened (today's Platform 3 and Platform 4) to improve operations at
6825-537: The route has more than two tracks, predominantly through stations such as Colchester and Ipswich, along with goods loops, such as at the London end of Ingatestone . There is also a short stretch of single track on approach to Norwich, as the line passes over the River Wensum on the Trowse Bridge. Major civil engineering structures on the Great Eastern Main Line include the following: The only tunnel on
6916-538: The route on 1 May 1985. Class 86 locomotives initially only powered services between Liverpool Street and Ipswich; after a switchover, Class 47s would complete the journey between Ipswich and Norwich. This last section was finally energised in May 1987, when through electric services commenced. In 1986, the line as far as Manningtree became part of Network SouthEast , although some NSE services actually terminated at Ipswich, whilst longer-distance Norwich services were operated by InterCity. Local services operating from
7007-498: The standard typeface for the company. Soon it appeared on every facet of the company's identity, from metal locomotive nameplates and hand-painted station signage to printed restaurant car menus, timetables and advertising posters. The LNER promoted their rebranding by offering Eric Gill a footplate ride on the Flying Scotsman express service; he also painted for it a signboard in the style of Gill Sans, which survives in
7098-464: The station. Many of the original platform buildings exist today and close inspection reveals the heads of what are believed to be Greek Gods incorporated into the design. Ipswich engine shed (later shed code 32B) opened in 1846 and was at the south end of Stoke tunnel. It was the third-largest shed in the Great Eastern area during the steam era, after those at Stratford and Cambridge . At
7189-478: The streamlined Silver Jubilee train of 1935 were exploited by the LNER publicity department, and embedded the non-stop London to Edinburgh services such as the Flying Scotsman in the public imagination. The crowning glory of this time was the world record speed of 126 miles per hour (203 km/h) achieved on a test run by LNER Class A4 4468 Mallard . In 1929, the LNER chose the typeface Gill Sans as
7280-532: The testing of new EM1 electric locomotives for use over the Woodhead Line between Manchester and Sheffield . January 1951 saw the introduction of the Britannia class 4-6-2 express locomotives and a speeding up of services on the GEML. However, not everyone was a fan; British Railways' chairman Sir Michael Barrington Ward exclaimed "What? Send the first British Railways standard engines to that tramline? No!" Twenty-three Britannias were allocated to
7371-522: The town of Ipswich used a station called Ipswich Stoke Hill which was located south of the Stoke tunnel. The town's current station is located to the north of the tunnel. The ECR had leased the EUR from 1854 but by the 1860s, the railways in East Anglia were in financial trouble and most were leased to the ECR; they wished to amalgamate formally, but could not obtain government agreement for this until 1862, when
7462-559: The use of West Anglia Main Line services. These tracks were built through the basement warehousing associated with Bishopsgate station located above. The line was quadrupled to Ilford in 1895, and in 1899 out to Seven Kings . In 1902, the quadruple track was extended from Seven Kings to Romford, but it wasn't until 1913 that four-tracking out to Shenfield was suggested and the First World War caused delay to this plan. In 1903,
7553-817: Was 106.5 miles (171.4 km). It covered the area north and east of London . It included the East Coast Main Line from London to Edinburgh via York and Newcastle upon Tyne and the routes from Edinburgh to Aberdeen and Inverness . It also included the Great Central Main Line , from London Marylebone to Sheffield . Most of the country east of the Pennines was within its purview, including East Anglia . The main workshops were in Doncaster , with others at Darlington , Inverurie and Stratford, London . The company also owned
7644-452: Was a very industrial company: hauling more than a third of Britain's coal, it derived two thirds of its income from freight. Despite this, the main image presented was one of glamour, of fast trains and sophisticated destinations. Advertising was highly sophisticated and advanced compared with those of its rivals. Teasdale and Dandridge commissioned top graphic designers and poster artists such as Tom Purvis to promote its services and encourage
7735-485: Was added out to Colchester by 1843. The original gauge for the line was 5 ft ( 1,524 mm ), but this was converted to 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) standard gauge in 1844. The section of line between Colchester and Ipswich was built by the Eastern Union Railway (EUR) to standard gauge and opened to passenger traffic in June 1846. Its sister company,
7826-453: Was completed in November 1960. Extensive testing showed that smaller electrical clearances could be tolerated for the 25 kV system than originally thought necessary. As a result, it was now possible to increase the voltage without having to either raise bridges or lower the tracks along the route to obtain larger clearances. The route between Liverpool Street and Southend Victoria was converted to 25 kV AC between 1976 and 1980. By
7917-543: Was divided into the new British Railways ' Eastern Region , North Eastern Region , and partially the Scottish Region . The company was the second largest created by the Railways Act 1921 . The principal constituents of the LNER were: The total route mileage was 6,590 miles (10,610 km). The North Eastern Railway had the largest route mileage of 1,757 miles (2,828 km), whilst the Hull and Barnsley Railway
8008-412: Was granted planning permission to build a maintenance depot within the yard. The station has extensive facilities including self-service ticket machines, ticket counters, a convenience store, two cafes, a multi-storey car park , taxi stand, bus station and ATMs. The whole stations is now fully accessible, with lifts having been installed in 2011. The entrance to the station was remodelled during 2015 in
8099-402: Was opened by Sir Arthur Churchman , of tobacco family fame, and over 16,000 visited the show. The proceeds were divided between the Ipswich and East Suffolk Hospital and railway charities. The exhibits were (class/wheel arrangement/number/name): The show also included a sleeping car and a new composite corridor coach. In 1948, following nationalisation of the railways, Ipswich became part of
8190-528: Was planned that by September 2017, half of the services between Shenfield and Liverpool Street will have switched to the new Class 345 trains. From May 2015, Crossrail services (re-branded as TfL Rail ) have an interchange with existing GEML services at Liverpool Street (via new underground platforms) as well as Stratford , Romford and Shenfield . In November 2022, Crossrail services began to operate between Shenfield and London Paddington via Farringdon . However no services operate further than Paddington onto
8281-876: Was the majority partner in the Cheshire Lines Committee and the Forth Bridge Railway Company . It depended on freight from heavy industry in Yorkshire, the north east of England and Scotland, and its revenue was reduced by the economic depression for much of the early part of its existence. In a bid to improve financial efficiency, staffing levels reduced from 207,500 in 1924 to 175,800 in 1937. For investment to retain freight traffic, new marshalling yards were built in Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire, and Hull in Yorkshire to attempt to retain freight traffic. Sir Ralph Wedgwood introduced
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