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The Bishop's Stortford-Braintree Branch Line was a 18 miles (29 km) long line connecting the towns of Bishop's Stortford, Dunmow and Braintree.
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Originally proposed to Eastern Counties Railway in 1859, the line from Bishop's Stortford, Dunmow and Braintree was eventually built by Great Eastern Railway who had since absorbed ECR. Construction started in 1864 and the route opened on the 22nd February 1869. The line initially served Takeley, Felstead & Rayne with Easton Lodge being added in 1894, Hockerill in 1910, and finally Stane Street and Bannister Green in 1922.[1]
The line was almost entirely single track apart from at Bishop's Stortford, Dunmow and Braintree where there were passing loops. Passenger numbers were at decent levels when the line first opened, but increasing competition from bus and road transport meant trains were running almost empty near the end of its serving life; it closed to passengers on 3 March 1952. The line remained open for freight until the end of 1971 before closing completely in 1972. Most of the line formation remains as the Flitch Way country park though the tracks have been taken up. It has become a favourite route for joggers and cyclists. [2]
There have been several proposals to reopen the line but none has come close to being realised.[1]