Downham Market railway station

Downham Market railway station is on the Fen line in the east of England, serving the town of Downham Market, Norfolk. It is 86 miles 8 chains (138.6 km) measured from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Littleport and Watlington stations. Its three-letter station code is DOW.

Downham Market
The southbound platform at Downham Market
LocationDownham Market, King's Lynn and West Norfolk
England
Grid referenceTF602033
Owned byNetwork Rail
Managed byFirst Capital Connect
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeDOW
ClassificationDfT category E
History
Opened27 October 1846
Original companyLynn and Ely Railway
Pre-groupingGreat Eastern Railway
Post-groupingLondon and North Eastern Railway
Key dates
27 October 1846Opened as Downham
1 June 1981Renamed Downham Market
Passengers
2015/16 0.500 million
2016/17 0.543 million
2017/18 0.533 million
2018/19 0.550 million
2019/20 0.513 million
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

The station and most trains calling are operated by First Capital Connect (with service to and from London King's Cross), with some additional peak services being operated by Greater Anglia (to and from London Liverpool Street).

The station building of 1846, built of carrstone with pale brick dressings, is a Grade II listed building.[1]

History
Signal box at Downham Market

The Lynn & Ely Railway Bill received the Royal Assent on 30 June 1845. Work started on the line in 1846 and the line and its stations were opened on 27 October 1846. Downham Station opened with the line and was situated south of Stow Station and was a temporary end of the line. The line was completed to Ely in 1847. On New Year's Day Downham station ceased to be a temporary terminus when the line was opened through to Denver Road Gate.[2]

The new line connected King's Lynn and its harbour with Ely and trains to London.

The wooden signal box, built for the Great Eastern Railway in 1881, was listed Grade II in 2013.[3]

In early 2017, the station was redecorated to commemorate Network SouthEast, the British Rail division that operated services across England's south east 30 years previously. With assistance from the Railway Heritage Trust, paintwork and signage has been returned to a style that mimics that of the late 1980s.[4]

Services

Great Northern operate all off-peak services at Downham Market using Class 387 EMUs.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:[5]

During the peak hours, additional Great Northern services run to the station as well as a number of Greater Anglia services to/from London Liverpool Street which are operated using Class 379 EMUs.

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Great Northern
Greater Anglia
Fen Line
Peak Hours Only
  Historical railways  
Denver
Line open, station closed		   Great Eastern Railway
Fen Line		   Stow Bardolph
Line open, station closed

Footbridge

On 10 August 2009 Network Rail submitted a planning application for a new £1.5 million footbridge, describing the current foot crossing as 'one of the most dangerous in the country'. The plan was supported by then station operator First Capital Connect, with an intended completion date of summer 2011.[6][7] The initial application was withdrawn following consultation with local councils, English Heritage and the Railway Heritage Trust and a revised plan submitted in December 2009 following changes to improve the appearance of the bridge.[8] However, this proposal was rejected by King's Lynn and West Norfolk Council in April 2010, citing the lack of accessibility for disabled passengers and the effect of the bridge on the Grade II listed station building.[9]

The foot crossing has since been closed and passengers must now use the nearby road level crossing to switch between platforms.[10]

References
  1. Historic England. "Railway Station (1171244)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  2. CJ Allen and RVJ Butt
  3. Historic England. "Downham Market Signal Box (1414022)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
  4. http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/red-white-and-blue-makeover-for-downham-market-railway-station-1-4995695
  5. Table 25 National Rail timetable, May 2020
  6. Bridge for 'one of UK's most dangerous rail crossings' - Norfolk News - EDP24
  7. First Capital Connect - Planning application submitted for new footbridge at Downham Market
  8. Network Rail - Press Releases - Downham station footbridge: improved application submitted Archived 29 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  9. Borough of Kings Lynn and West Norfolk Development Control Board - April 2010 Archived 3 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  10. "Crossing at Downham Market train station closed after safety concerns". Eastern Daily Press. 9 May 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2011.

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