Melton railway station

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For the railway station in Australia, see Melton railway station, Melbourne.
Melton National Rail
The single platform at Melton
Location
Place Melton
Local authority Suffolk Coastal
Coordinates 52°06′14″N 1°20′17″E / 52.104°N 1.338°E / 52.104; 1.338Coordinates: 52°06′14″N 1°20′17″E / 52.104°N 1.338°E / 52.104; 1.338
Grid reference TM284503
Operations
Station code MES
Managed by Greater Anglia
Number of platforms 1
Live arrivals/departures and station information
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2004/05   20,559
2005/06 Increase 27,590
2006/07 Increase 33,645
2007/08 Increase 36,727
2008/09 Increase 42,460
2009/10 Decrease 40,012
2010/11 Increase 43,216
2011/12 Increase 55,086
History
Original company East Suffolk Railway
Pre-grouping Great Eastern Railway
Post-grouping London and North Eastern Railway
1 June 1859 Station opened
2 May 1955 Closed to passengers
1 June 1972 Closed to freight
3 September 1984 Reopened for passengers
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 Melton from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
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Melton is a railway station serving the village of Melton in Suffolk, England. The station is located on the Ipswich-Lowestoft East Suffolk Line. The station was opened in 1859 but was closed in 1955 and remained closed until 1984 when, after a local campaign, the station was re-opened.

History

The railway line connecting the East Suffolk Railway (ESR) at Halesworth to an extension of the Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) at Woodbridge was built by the ESR.[1] The line opened on 1 June 1859,[1] and Melton station opened with the line.[2] The ESR was absorbed by the ECR on opening day.[1]

On 1 July 1862, the ECR and other small railway companies amalgamated to become the Great Eastern Railway (GER).[3] At the 1923 Grouping, the GER was amalgamated with other companies to form the London and North Eastern Railway;[4] this in turn was a constituent of British Railways at the start of 1948.

The station is located outside the village centre (and close to the first road crossing on the River Deben) and was vulnerable to bus competition which started in 1919.[5]

During World War 2 Melton was the railhead for nearby RAF Bentwaters with a pipeline running from the station yard. This was supplied by tanker wagons kept in the yard. Remains of crashed aircraft from Orfordness and Sutton crash airfield were sent via Melton during 1943.[5]

The station closed to passengers on 2 May 1955;[2] the goods yard closed on 1 June 1972, although private sidings remained open for domestic coal traffic[6] and roadstone between 1972 and 1976. During this time a small Ruston & Hornsby diesel shunter was based at the sidings.[5] All rail freight traffic ceased in the early 1980s but after local campaigning the station was reopened for passengers on 3 September 1984.[2]

With the privatisation of British Rail, ownership of the line and station passed to Railtrack on 1 April 1994. The franchise to operate the passenger services on this route was won by Anglia Railways in 1997; in 2004 National Express won the franchise and operated services using the branding 'one', which was renamed National Express East Anglia in 2008.

National Express East Anglia was succeeded as the operator of the Greater Anglia franchise from 5 February 2012 [7] by Abellio.

A visit to the station site in August 2012 revealed the station builiding is in use as a butcher's shop. The railway line is now single through Melton with the old down platform being the only one in use. The up platform (Southbound - towards London) still exists, but is heavily overgrown.

  • Melton station from the road in 2012

Train services

The following services currently call at Melton:

Operator Route Material Frequency Notes
Greater Anglia (Harwich International -) Ipswich - Westerfield - Woodbridge - Melton - Wickham Market - Saxmundham - Darsham - Halesworth - Brampton - Beccles - Oulton Broad South - Lowestoft Class 170 Every 1 Hour Service to Harwich 1x per day

From 9 December 2012, 1 train per hour will operate between Ipswich and Lowestoft, calling at all stations (except Westerfield). Brampton will be served by request only.[8]

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Greater Anglia

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Allen 1956, p. 216.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Butt 1995, p. 157.
  3. ↑ Allen 1956, p. 46.
  4. ↑ Allen 1956, p. 199.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Cooper 1982, p. 33.
  6. ↑ McCarthy, McCarthy & Cobb 2007, p. 110.
  7. ↑ "Better services for East Anglian passengers under new franchise" (Press release). Department for Transport. 20 October 2011. 
  8. ↑ http://www.greateranglia.co.uk/timetables/download/771

References

  • Allen, Cecil J. (1956) [1955]. The Great Eastern Railway (2nd ed.). Hampton Court: Ian Allan. 
  • Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508. 
  • Cooper, John M (1982). The East Suffolk Railway. Oakwood Press. ISBN 085361 285 4. 
  • McCarthy, Colin; McCarthy, David; Cobb, Michael (August 2007). Waller, Peter, ed. Norfolk and Suffolk. Railways of Britain. Hersham: Ian Allan. ISBN 978-0-7110-3223-1. 0708/c1. 

External links

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