Wickham Market railway station

Wickham Market
General information
Location	Campsea Ashe, East Suffolk England
Coordinates	52.1510°N 1.3987°E / 52.1510; 1.3987
Grid reference	TM326557
Managed by	Abellio Greater Anglia
Platforms	1
Other information
Station code	WCM
Classification	DfT category F1
History
Original company	East Suffolk Railway
Pre-grouping	Great Eastern Railway
Post-grouping	London and North Eastern Railway
Key dates
1 June 1859	Opened
Passengers
2019/20	55,266
2020/21	11,570
2021/22	47,570
2022/23	57,274
2023/24	62,200
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Wickham Market railway station is on the East Suffolk Line in the east of England, located in Campsea Ashe, Suffolk, approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Wickham Market itself. The station is 15 miles 64 chains (25.4 km) down the line from Ipswich and 84 miles 43 chains (136 km) measured from London Liverpool Street; it is situated between Melton and Saxmundham. Its three-letter station code is WCM.

It is managed by Abellio Greater Anglia, which also operates all trains that call.

Wickham Market was formerly a junction for the Framlingham branch line. The branch closed to passenger services in November 1952, and to freight in April 1965.

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, as was the Framlingham branch. The main line and the Framlingham branch both opened on 1 June 1859, and Wickham Market station opened at the same time. The ESR was absorbed by the ECR on opening day.

On 1 July 1862, the ECR and other small railway companies were amalgamated to form the Great Eastern Railway (GER). Upon the 1923 Grouping, the GER was combined with other railways into the London and North Eastern Railway; this in turn was a constituent of British Railways at the start of 1948.

The Framlingham branch closed to passenger trains in November 1952; it retained freight services until April 1965. In the meantime, the goods yard at Wickham Market closed in July 1964.

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 brand name 'one', which was renamed National Express East Anglia in 2008. In February 2012, the operation of the train service was taken over by Abellio Greater Anglia, a company run by Abellio, the trading name of Dutch railways.

Services

As of December 2020 the typical Monday-Sunday off-peak service at Wickham Market is as follows:

Operator	Route	Rolling stock	Typical frequency
Abellio Greater Anglia	Lowestoft - Oulton Broad South - Beccles - Brampton (on request) - Halesworth - Darsham - Saxmundham - Wickham Market - Melton - Woodbridge - Ipswich	Class 755	1x per hour in each direction

Trains direct to and from London Liverpool Street were withdrawn in 2010.

One weekday early-morning train is extended through to Harwich International and there is a return from there in the evening.

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.
• 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

• Train times and station information for Wickham Market railway station from National Rail

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Saxmundham		Abellio Greater Anglia East Suffolk Line		Melton
Disused railways
Terminus		Great Eastern Railway Framlingham Branch		Marlesford Line and station closed