| Westerfield | |
|---|---|
| Westerfield railway station | |
| Location | |
| Place | Westerfield |
| Local authority | Suffolk Coastal |
| Operations | |
| Station code | WFI |
| Managed by | National Express East Anglia |
| Number of platforms | 2 |
| Live arrivals/departures and station information from National Rail Enquiries |
|
| Annual rail passenger usage | |
| 2004/05 * | 6,892 |
| 2005/06 * | 8,197 |
| 2006/07 * | 8,461 |
| 2007/08 * | 9,764 |
| 2008/09 * | 11,100 |
| 2009/10 * | 11,688 |
| National Rail - UK railway stations | |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |
| * Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Westerfield from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Please note: methodology may vary year on year. | |
Westerfield is a railway station in Westerfield Suffolk, England. The station is a junction of the Felixstowe Branch Line to Felixstowe, and the East Suffolk Line to Lowestoft 6 km (3½ miles) east of Ipswich. Westerfield is a small village north of Ipswich and the station is situated on the south side of the village. As a result patronage has never been high and it might be the fact because the location is a junction that has been partly responsible for keeping it open. However a report commissioned by Suffolk County Council [1] reported that 25,384 people lived in the catchment area for the station
Currently the station is served by National Express East Anglia. All services are operated by diesel multiple units of Classes 153, 156 and 170. The Felixstowe line is operated as an hourly shuttle service to Ipswich, there is an hourly service to Saxmundham and every 2 hours this service continues to Lowestoft. Through the bushes behind the up platform can be seen the original platform and station building of the 'Felixstowe Dock & Railway Co' station.
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In about 1847 the Ipswich & Bury Railway had secured the rights to build the line from Ipswich to Woodbridge but works were delayed for financial reasons. The Ipswich & Bury Railway was absorbed by then Eastern Union Railway in 1847 which gathered a number of the smaller railway concerns together.
The Halesworth, Beccles & Haddiscoe Railway was incorporated in 1851 and the first section of the East Suffolk line from Beccles to Halesworth was constructed by Peto Brassey & Betts. The East Suffolk railway, which had been incorporated on 3 July 1854, took over the powers of the Halesworth, Beccles & Haddiscoe Railway[2] and the route opened on the 4 December 1854.[2] It continued north to Haddiscoe on what is now part of the Wherry Lines.[3]
On the 1 June 1859 the line was opened as far south as Westerfield and Ipswich and north to Great Yarmouth.[2]
The station is situated to the east of the Ipswich to Westerfield Road which crosses the East Suffolk Line on the level. The station building is situated on the southern side of the East Suffolk line. There were two through platforms when the station opened and these were supplemented by two further bay platforms when the Felixstowe Branch Line opened in 1877. The Felixstowe railway company had offices on the southernmost platform which are still extant today as a private residence although they stood empty for many years.
The goods yard was situated on the northern side of the line and consisted of a couple of sidings accessed by setting back from the main line.
To the west of the station and level crossing there was a short branch (1.5 miles long) which ran to a brick and tile works in what is now known as the Dales area of Ipswich. There was a second brick works just north of Grove Farm site. In World War One the line was requisitioned by the British war department to serve a munitions depot in the Upper Dales. In 1921 the line was worked by a Garrett steam road tractor as the track was in poor condition and it was removed circa 1927.[4]
The original signal box was situated at the east end of the down (Lowestoft) platform but this was replaced by a standard GE structure located at the junction for the Felixstowe branch. Absolute Block signalling was withdrawn between Westerfield and Oulton Broad when the East Suffolk Line was upgraded to the Radio Electronic Token Block system. The box survived as the Felixstowe Branch still had conventional block signalling with the next signal box being the station at Derby Road albeit with a large modern radio mast inelegantly attached to a Victorian structure. The box finally closed in when the signalling was upgraded in 1999 and the area is now controlled by Colchester Power Signal Box.[5]
The station opened for traffic on June 1, 1859.
In 1862 the Great Eastern took over operation of the line.
In 1877 the Felixstowe Branch opened.
In 1885 an ambitious Midland Railway scheme would, had it of come to fruition seen Westerfield Junction linked to Chesterton Junction just north of Cambridge. Like so many schemes of the time it foundered and died a natural death.
On 25 September 1900 at 0845, GER Class Y14 0-6-0 locomotive no 522 which was then just a year old stopped at a signal on the Ipswich side of the level crossing awaiting a route to the Felixstowe branch. Shortly afterwards the boiler exploded killing driver John Barnard and his fireman William Macdonald both based at Ipswich engine shed. The boiler was thrown 40 yards forwards, over the level crossing and ended up on the down platform. Apparently the locomotive had a history of boiler problems although in the official report the Boiler Foreman at Ipswich Engine shed was blamed. The victims were buried in Ipswich cemetery and both their gravestones have a likeness of a Y14 0-6-0 carved onto them.[6][7]
On May 3, 1902 Westerfield almost became a four way junction when a sod cutting ceremony for the Mid-Suffolk Light Railway was held adjacent to the north side of the goods yard The original plan was to link up with the Mid-Suffolk Railway at Debenham and a short section of this line was built at the Debenham end. It was never completed.[8]
During this time it is known that excursion trains travelled from such places as the Framlingham Branch to Felixstowe and it is possible the locomotives would have run round the carriages in the station (rather than run to Ipswich) in order to access the branch. No scheduled services did this.
In 1923 the Great Eastern was merged into the London & North Eastern Railway.
During World War 2 a number of engines were stored in the bay platforms but returned to use later in the war. These included three of the regular Felixstowe branch engines nos 6123, 6128 and 6130 (C14 4-4-2T).[9]
In 1948 the railways were nationalised and British Railways took over operation of Westerfield Junction.
In the 1960s the East Suffolk line was identified for closure but a vigorous local campaign saw it saved. It was reduced to a very basic railway in order to cut costs although some through services to London survived until the 1980s.
On July 13, 1964 the goods yard closed with the track in the bay platforms being lifted sometime later in the 1960s.
In 1967 all booking offices in the area closed and all trains became operated by conductor guards. The late 1960s saw the steady growth of freight through Felixstowe Docks with Freightliner trains being seen increasingly at Westerfield.
In 1985 The layout was changed in connection with the introduction of Radio Electronic Token Block signalling. Trains heading towards Felixstowe now changed tracks west of the level crossing and worked through the up (Ipswich bound platform). Westerfield signal box remained as the Felixstowe branch was still signalled under the Absolute Block system.
In the early 1990s the Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company buildings which had stood empty for many years were converted to a private residence.
In 1994 the railways were privatised. The ownership of the infrastructure passed to Railtrack (which later became Network Rail in 2002). The trains were initially operated by a business unit and the first franchise was awarded to Anglia Railways (owned by First Group. The second round of franchising in 2004 saw train the “One Railway” franchise owned by National Express take over although this was renamed National Express East Anglia within a year.
The signal box closed in 1999 and the Felixstowe branch was controlled by the Colchester Power Signal Box under the Track Circuit Block system of signalling.
In 2004 a developer planning to develop land to the east of the Castle Hill area in Ipswich proposed a new station which would have seen the end of Westerfield Junction due to its close proximity. The plans came to nothing.
Trains started serving Westerfield from 1859.
In 1877 the station opened as a terminating station for the Felixstowe Branch Line with four trains arriving and departing each day. The bay platforms were built ofr this purose as was the office fro the Felixstowe dock and Railway Company. The Great Eastern Railway took over operating this line in 1879 and most Felixstowe trains were extended to and from Ipswich station.
The 1905 timetable reported through coaches for Felixstowe from Liverpool Street being detached at Westerfield where another locomotive would then have been attached to the coaches for the journey down to Felixstowe.[9]
In June 1922 there were 7 weekday services to the East Suffolk line and 10 to the Felixstowe branch. On Sundays there were 2 services to the East Suffolk and 6 on a Sunday.[10]
In the September 1964 timetable only 4 down Felixstowe and a single down East Suffolk train served the station on a weekday.
Through services to London finished in 1984 although they were restarted after privatisation in 2004.
The following services currently call at Westerfield:
| Operator | Route | Material | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NXEA | (Harwich International -) Ipswich - Westerfield - Woodbridge - Melton - Wickham Market - Saxmundham - Darsham - Halesworth - Brampton - Beccles - Oulton Broad South - Lowestoft | Class 170 | Every 2 Hours | Service to Harwich 1x per day |
| NXEA | Ipswich - Westerfield - Woodbridge - Melton - Wickham Market - Saxmundham | Class 156 | Every 2 Hours | Not Sundays |
| NXEA | Ipswich - Westerfield - Derby Road - Trimley - Felixstowe | Class 153 | 1x per hour |
| Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Express East Anglia | ||||
| National Express East Anglia | ||||
| Historical railways | ||||
|
Line open, station closed
|
Great Eastern Railway |
Line and station open
|
||
| Bus Service | Operator | Route | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 116 | Galloway | Ipswich - Westerfield - Witnesham - Debenham. | Monday to Friday. One return journey. |
| 118/119 | Far East Travel | Ipswich - Westerfield - Witnesham - Framlingham. | Monday to Saturday. Every Hour. |
As the Felixstowe Branch is very busy with freight trains for the Port of Felixstowe many locomotives pass through the station. DRS also operate a freight service to Sizewell Nuclear Power Station.
Electrification of the line to Felixstowe has been mooted for many years but has not yet come to fruition. There are plans to increase line capacity on the Felixstowe branch which will see additional freight services routed through Westerfield.