Wherry Lines

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Legend 0m 00ch Norwich 0m 30ch Great Eastern Main Line River Yare (Old course) Whitlingham 1m 70ch Bittern Line A47 4m 66ch Brundall Gardens 5m 63ch Brundall 5m 72ch Brundall Junction 7m 64ch Buckenham Lingwood 10m 02ch Cantley Acle 12m 14ch Reedham 12m 34ch Reedham Junction Berney Arms Breydon Junction A12 Great Yarmouth A143 16m 15ch Haddiscoe Haddiscoe Junction on Yarmouth-Beccles Line River Waveney 18m 00ch Somerleyton A1117 22m 06ch Oulton Broad North 22m 16ch East Suffolk Line Former line to Great Yarmouth 23m 41ch Lowestoft

The Wherry Lines are railway lines in England, from Norwich to Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft. These lines pass through The Broads. The line is part of the Network Rail Strategic Route 7, SRS 07.11 and is classified as a rural line.^[1] The name of the line is taken from the Norfolk wherries, which played an important role in the transport of goods and people around the broads before road and rail transport became widespread.

History

The line was first opened from Norwich to Great Yarmouth by the Norwich and Yarmouth Railway in 1844, running via Reedham. The link from Reedham to Lowestoft was added in 1847 by Samuel Morton Peto. Finally, the northern route from Norwich to Great Yarmouth was added in 1882 by the Great Eastern Railway.

On 1 February 2007, the services operating on the line were designated community rail services^[2] as part of The Community Rail Development Strategy which aims to increase passenger numbers and income, improve the management of costs, and develop a greater sense of community involvement.^[3]

Infrastructure

The lines from Norwich to Brundall and on to Lowestoft are double track with the lines between Brundall, Great Yarmouth and Reedham being single track. The line is not electrified, has a loading gauge of W8 except between Lowestoft and Oulton Broad North junction where it is W6, and has a line speed of between 40-75 mph.^[1]

Rolling stock

Passenger services are provided by National Express East Anglia, using Class 153, Class 156 or Class 170 diesel multiple units, as the routes are not electrified. Most services originate from Norwich, but some services operate through from London Liverpool Street via Norwich. These through services are either formed of Turbostars or else are Class 90 electric locomotives with hauled coaching stock, which are dragged from Norwich by a Class 47 diesel locomotive.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Route 7 - Great Eastern". Network Rail. http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/StrategicBusinessPlan/RoutePlans/2009/Route%207%20-%20Great%20Eastern.pdf. Retrieved 2009-05-20. 
2. ^ "Community rail - new life for local lines". Department for Transport. http://www.gnn.gov.uk/environment/fullDetail.asp?ReleaseID=261104&NewsAreaID=2&NavigatedFromDepartment=False. 
3. ^ "Community Rail Development Strategy". Department for Transport. http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/strategyfinance/strategy/community/crds/communityraildevelopmentstrategy. 

External links

• The Wherry Lines
• YARMOUTH AND NORWICH RAILWAY - Parliamentary debate - 1842 Hansard
• A Map with the locations of the stations