Sudbury Branch Line
Sudbury Branch Line
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| Principal stations |
The Sudbury Branch Line is the railway line from Marks Tey to Sudbury. All passenger services on the line are operated by 'one', The service runs hourly, seven days a week, as a shuttle from Marks Tey to Sudbury. The first and last trains of the day normally run from and to Colchester, as the branch train is stabled overnight there. (The junction at Marks Tey faces towards Colchester.) The line is single track throughout.
The Line was Designated as a Community Railway by the Transport Minister in December 2006.
Trains at Marks Tey allow easy connections to London, Colchester and various destinations in East Anglia. Trains are currently formed of either Class 156 on weekdays or Class 153 diesel multiple units at the weekends.
During July 2005 the line received around £3 million investment, which saw around 5 miles of old jointed track replaced with new continuous welded rail. August 2006 saw another huge investment, when around 6 miles of track was replaced, leaving just the Chappel Viaduct and Lamarsh to Sudbury sections to be replaced, this work is scheduled for July 2007.
The Sudbury Line is part of the Essex and South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership. For marketing purposes, the line is named the Gainsborough Line, after the painter Thomas Gainsborough who was born in Sudbury. It was previously named the Lovejoy line, after the BBC television series filmed in the Sudbury area.
The Suffolk County Council Public Transport Strategy of February 2006 proposed the creation of an additional station for the line, at Great Cornard, approximately 1 mile from Sudbury station.
The line is not electrified, unlike other branch lines in the area, such as the Braintree branch.
There is an impressive viaduct at Chappel, and the East Anglian Railway Museum is located at Chappel and Wakes Colne, alongside the station.
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