The line is 30miles 22chains (48.7km) in length and there are 10 stations. It is part of Network RailStrategic Route 7, SRS 07.11, and is classified as a rural line.[3]
Passenger services are operated by Greater Anglia, which also manages all of the stations.
Following the closure of the majority of the Midland and Great Northern network, the line operated as a single branch between Norwich and Melton Constable before the section between Sheringham and Melton Constable was closed in 1964.[5] The remainder of the line was listed for closure in 1967[6] but survived the proposal after being declined by the Secretary of State for Transport.[7]
The section of the line between Sheringham and Holt which was closed in the 1960s remains in use as a heritage railway line operated as the North Norfolk Railway (NNR - also known as the Poppy Line). After a period of 36 years, the link between the Bittern line and the North Norfolk Railway was reinstated in 2010 with the opening of a new level crossing at Sheringham.
The following table summarises the line's 10 stations, their distance measured from Norwich, and their estimated number of passenger entries/exits in 2018/19 and 2022/23:[9]
Passenger services are operated by Greater Anglia. The typical service is one train per hour in each direction between Norwich and Sheringham. Calling patterns are varied, with some trains stopping at all stations while others omit some of the lesser-used stations along the line, such as Salhouse, Gunton and Roughton Road.
The line was re-signalled in 2000, leading to the closure of a number of mechanical signal boxes and control moving to a panel at the Trowse Swing Bridge control room. This saw the end of one of the few remaining sections of single-track main line controlled by tokens.[citation needed] The Cromer signal box has been preserved.
Proposed developments
Rackheath station
A new station is proposed as part of the Rackheatheco-town.[11] The building of the town may also mean a short freight spur being built to transport fuel to fire an on-site power station. The plans for the settlement received approval from the government in 2009.[12]
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Bittern_Line, and is written by contributors.
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