Ipswich railway station
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ipswich | |
 |
|
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Place | Ipswich |
| Local authority | Borough of Ipswich, Suffolk |
| Operations | |
| Station code | IPS |
| Managed by | National Express East Anglia |
| Platforms in use | 4 |
| Live arrivals/departures and station information from National Rail | |
| Annual rail passenger usage | |
| 2004/05 * | 2.017 million |
| 2005/06 * | 2.145 million |
| 2006/07 * | 2.402 million |
| 2007/08 * | 2.807 million |
| History | |
| Opened 1860 | |
| 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 passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Ipswich from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. | |
Ipswich railway station is a railway station serving the town of Ipswich in Suffolk, England. The station is located on the Great Eastern Main Line 68¾ miles east of London Liverpool Street towards Norwich.
Ipswich is also a junction station as two lines to Felixstowe and Lowestoft (the East Suffolk Line) diverge from the main line north of the station.
Although the Eastern Union Railway opened to a terminus in Ipswich in 1846, the present through station dates from 1860, and the island platform was added by the Great Eastern Railway in 1883. The main building is thought to be principally the work of Peter Bruff.[1]
The station is also the location of one of the few tunnels in East Anglia, immediately to the south (London side) of the station. This is the only tunnel on the whole Great Eastern Main Line. Also completed in 1846 it was engineered by Peter Bruff and, although only 361 yd (330 m) long, is thought to be the earliest driven on a sharp continuous curve.[2]
Platform 1 is a bay platform where trains to/from Felixstowe terminate. Trains to Cambridge also run from this platform along with platform 4. Trains to/from Lowestoft/Peterborough that start/finish at Ipswich also sometimes arrive on platform 1, again along with platform 4. Platform 2 is used for through trains to London from Norwich, Lowestoft, Peterborough and trains starting at Ipswich. Platform 3 is used for through trains to Norwich, Lowestoft and Peterborough from London. Platform 4 is used for some services to Cambridge, and some starting services to Lowestoft/Peterborough. Also at peak times, some trains from London to Norwich, Lowestoft and Peterborough stop here instead of platform 3.
Opposite Platform 4 at Ipswich Station is a stabling point used by Freightliner diesel and electric locomotives. Classes 47, 57, 66, 86 and 90 are the most common, although locomotives of other companies have been known to use the point in the past. For railway photographers, Platforms 3 and 4 offer the best views of the stabling point.
Ticket barriers were installed in the station building in May 2009 and the exit gate on Platform 2 closed permanently.
[edit] Services
The station is served by National Express East Anglia. Services are described below.
- National Express East Anglia operate two express trains an hour to London Liverpool Street, calling at Manningtree, Colchester, Chelmsford and Stratford or Shenfield alternately.
There are also two trains an hour to Norwich, calling at Diss and Stowmarket (once an hour). Services are operated by Class 90 electric locomotives, Mk.3 hauled coaching-stock. These services were operated by Anglia Railways until April 2004.
- National Express East Anglia also operate an hourly service to London calling at Colchester, Witham, Chelmsford and Shenfield. These originate from Lowestoft or Peterborough and from which there are services every alternate hour. This is normally operated by Class 170 DMUs but sometimes Class 321s, 360s or 317s cover the Ipswich to London stretch, with a DMU continuing onwards from Ipswich.
- National Express East Anglia operate an hourly service to Cambridge and a service every two hours to Peterborough. Both of these services serve Bury St Edmunds, with the Peterborough services continuing via Ely. On Sundays, some of the services from Cambridge are extended to Harwich International. All of these services use DMUs of Classes 153, 156 or 170.
- National Express East Anglia also operate local services to Lowestoft via the East Suffolk Line, and an hourly service to Felixstowe via the Felixstowe Branch Line. These services also use DMUs of Classes 153, 156 or 170.
- National Express East Anglia operate two services a day to Harwich International, to connect with ferry services to Hoek van Holland as part of the Dutchflyer service. Services are formed of a Class 321 for services terminating at Ipswich or a Class 153/Class 156 for services continuing to Cambridge.
[edit] References
- ^ Biddle, Gordon (2003). Britain's Historic Railway Buildings. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-866247-5.
- ^ Moffat, Hugh (1987). East Anglia's First Railways. Lavenham: Terence Dalton. ISBN 0-86138-038-X.
[edit] External links
- Train times and station information for Ipswich railway station from National Rail
| Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manningtree | National Express East Anglia National Express East Anglia Intercity |
Stowmarket | ||
| Manningtree | National Express East Anglia Great Eastern Main Line outer-suburban |
Terminus | ||
| Harwich International | National Express East Anglia Ipswich to Ely Line |
Needham Market | ||
| Terminus | National Express East Anglia Felixstowe Branch Line |
Westerfield | ||
| Colchester Terminates at Ipswich on Sundays |
National Express East Anglia East Suffolk Line |
Westerfield | ||
| Harwich International | Dutchflyer Norwich/Cambridge-Amsterdam |
Stowmarket | ||
