Downham Market railway station
Downham Market railway station is on the Fen line in the east of England, serving the town of Downham Market, Norfolk. It is 86 miles 8 chains (138.6 km) measured from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Littleport and Watlington stations. Its three-letter station code is DOW.
Downham Market  | |
|---|---|
 The southbound platform at Downham Market | |
| Location | Downham Market, King's Lynn and West Norfolk England |
| Grid reference | TF602033 |
| Owned by | Network Rail |
| Managed by | First Capital Connect |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Station code | DOW |
| Classification | DfT category E |
| History | |
| Opened | 27 October 1846 |
| Original company | Lynn and Ely Railway |
| Pre-grouping | Great Eastern Railway |
| Post-grouping | London and North Eastern Railway |
| Key dates | |
| 27 October 1846 | Opened as Downham |
| 1 June 1981 | Renamed Downham Market |
| Passengers | |
| 2015/16 |  0.500 million |
| 2016/17 | 0.543 million |
| 2017/18 |  0.533 million |
| 2018/19 | 0.550 million |
| 2019/20 | 0.513 million |
| Notes | |
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road | |
The station and most trains calling are operated by First Capital Connect (with service to and from London King's Cross), with some additional peak services being operated by Greater Anglia (to and from London Liverpool Street).
The station building of 1846, built of carrstone with pale brick dressings, is a Grade II listed building.[1]
History
The Lynn & Ely Railway Bill received the Royal Assent on 30 June 1845. Work started on the line in 1846 and the line and its stations were opened on 27 October 1846. Downham Station opened with the line and was situated south of Stow Station and was a temporary end of the line. The line was completed to Ely in 1847. On New Year's Day Downham station ceased to be a temporary terminus when the line was opened through to Denver Road Gate.[2]
The new line connected King's Lynn and its harbour with Ely and trains to London.
The wooden signal box, built for the Great Eastern Railway in 1881, was listed Grade II in 2013.[3]
In early 2017, the station was redecorated to commemorate Network SouthEast, the British Rail division that operated services across England's south east 30 years previously. With assistance from the Railway Heritage Trust, paintwork and signage has been returned to a style that mimics that of the late 1980s.[4]
Services
Great Northern operate all off-peak services at Downham Market using Class 387 EMUs.
The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:[5]
- 1 tph to London King's Cross
- 1 tph to King's Lynn
During the peak hours, additional Great Northern services run to the station as well as a number of Greater Anglia services to/from London Liverpool Street which are operated using Class 379 EMUs.
| Preceding station | National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Northern | ||||
| Greater Anglia Fen Line Peak Hours Only | ||||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Denver Line open, station closed |
Great Eastern Railway Fen Line |
Stow Bardolph Line open, station closed | ||
Footbridge
On 10 August 2009 Network Rail submitted a planning application for a new £1.5 million footbridge, describing the current foot crossing as 'one of the most dangerous in the country'. The plan was supported by then station operator First Capital Connect, with an intended completion date of summer 2011.[6][7] The initial application was withdrawn following consultation with local councils, English Heritage and the Railway Heritage Trust and a revised plan submitted in December 2009 following changes to improve the appearance of the bridge.[8] However, this proposal was rejected by King's Lynn and West Norfolk Council in April 2010, citing the lack of accessibility for disabled passengers and the effect of the bridge on the Grade II listed station building.[9]
The foot crossing has since been closed and passengers must now use the nearby road level crossing to switch between platforms.[10]
References
- Historic England. "Railway Station (1171244)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
- CJ Allen and RVJ Butt
- Historic England. "Downham Market Signal Box (1414022)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
- http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/red-white-and-blue-makeover-for-downham-market-railway-station-1-4995695
- Table 25 National Rail timetable, May 2020
- Bridge for 'one of UK's most dangerous rail crossings' - Norfolk News - EDP24
- First Capital Connect - Planning application submitted for new footbridge at Downham Market
- Network Rail - Press Releases - Downham station footbridge: improved application submitted Archived 29 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- Borough of Kings Lynn and West Norfolk Development Control Board - April 2010 Archived 3 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- "Crossing at Downham Market train station closed after safety concerns". Eastern Daily Press. 9 May 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
External links
Media related to Downham Market railway station at Wikimedia Commons
- Train times and station information for Downham Market railway station from National Rail