Stowmarket railway station

Infobox UK station
name = Stowmarket


caption = The front of the station building
manager = National Express East Anglia
locale = Stowmarket
borough = Mid Suffolk
code = SMK
usage0405 = 0.418
usage0506 = 0.453
usage0607 = 0.545
platforms = 2
start = 1846

Stowmarket railway station is a railway station serving the town of Stowmarket in Suffolk, England. The station is located on the Great Eastern Main Line from London Liverpool Street to Norwich. It is also the junction of the line to Ely. It is served by National Express East Anglia.

Services

Off-peak services Monday-Saturday are described below:
* National Express East Anglia operate one express train an hour to London Liverpool Street, calling at Ipswich, Manningtree, Colchester and Shenfield. There is also one train an hour to Norwich, calling at Diss. Services are operated by Class 90 electric locomotives, hauling Mk.3 hauled coaching-stock. The locomotives operate in push-pull mode with a DVT. The Class 90s replaced older Class 86 locomotives, and the Mk.3 coaches replaced older Mk.2 stock. These services were operated by Anglia Railways until April 2004.
*National Express East Anglia operate 1 train every two hours to Peterborough via Ely in one direction and to Ipswich in the other direction. Monday-Saturday most of these services are extended to London Liverpool Street and are usually operated by Class 170 diesel multiple units.
*National Express East Anglia operate 1 train an hour to Cambridge via Bury St. Edmunds and to Ipswich in the other direction. Most trains to Ipswich are designed to connect with an express service to London Liverpool Street at Ipswich. Some of these services are extended to Harwich International to connect with ferry services. These services use diesel multiple units of Classes 153, 156 or rarely 170.

On Sunday's the only difference to that described above is that the services from Ipswich to Cambridge operate once every 2 hours.

History

The station was opened by the Ipswich and Bury Railway in 1846 with red brick main buildings in a flamboyant Jacobean manner by Frederick Barnes. The buildings, which are Grade II listed, were restored in 1987 and partly let commercially. [cite book|author=Biddle, Gordon|title=Britain's Historic Railway Buildings|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2003|isbn=0-19-866247-5] The station now has a wine shop. [http://www.envero.co.uk The Wine Shop]

There are plans for there to be a fast food restaurant opening on platform 1 of the station.

Marsh Lane Stabling Point

Stowmarket is also the location of a DRS Stabling Point, known as 'Marsh Lane'. The stabling point consists of several sidings, although there are no fueling or inspection facilities for locomotives. A Crew office is provided on Platform 1 of Stowmarket Station.

References

External links