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The Mayflower Line is a branch railway line from Manningtree to Harwich in the county of Essex in England. Passenger services are operated by National Express East Anglia. The line is part of the Network Rail Strategic Route 7, SRS 07.07 and is classified as a London and South East commuter line.[1]
History
Eastern Counties Railway had originally proposed plans to extend the East Coast Main Line from Colchester to Harwich although this was a cause for concern to Ipswich which was a rival port.[2]
In 1846 a railway line from Manningtree to Harwich proposed by Eastern Union Railway (EUR) was approved by the Railway Commissioners. In 1853 an agreement was reached between the companies with the Eastern Counties Railway taking over the working of the EUR from 1 January 1854. The line opened on 15 August 1854.[2]
In 1862 the Eastern Counties Railway and the Eastern Union Railway merged to become the Great Eastern Railway.[2]
Passenger services are currently operated by National Express East Anglia who replaced the previous operator, First Great Eastern, on 1 April 2004, when all the operators in East Anglia were merged into one new franchise.
Infrastructure
The line diverges from the Great Eastern Main Line at Manningtree and is double track as far as Harwich International where connecting ferry services are available to Hoek van Holland, Esbjerg and Hamburg. East of Manningtree station there is a triangular junction so that trains operating to the port can reach the branch from both north and south. The line is electrified at 25 kV AC using overhead wires and has a loading gauge of W10 (excluding W9),[clarification needed] and a line speed of between 40-75 mph.[1]
Services are formed using Class 360, and Class 321
References
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