Ipswich railway station
Ipswich  |
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| Location | |
| Place | Ipswich |
| Local authority | Borough of Ipswich, Suffolk |
| Grid reference | TM156437 |
| Operations | |
| Station code | IPS |
| Managed by | Greater Anglia |
| Number of platforms | 4 |
| Live arrivals/departures and station information from National Rail Enquiries |
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| Annual rail passenger usage* | |
| 2004/05 | 2.017 million |
| 2005/06 |  2.145 million |
| 2006/07 | 2.402 million |
| 2007/08 | 2.807 million |
| 2008/09 | 2.825 million |
| 2009/10 |  2.775 million |
| 2010/11 | 3.005 million |
| 2011/12 | 3.159 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 estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Ipswich from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Methodology may vary year on year. | |
 UK Railways portal |
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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 683⁄4 miles (111 km) east of London Liverpool Street towards Norwich. Ipswich station is to the southeast of the junction between the main line and the East Suffolk Line to Lowestoft (and to Felixstowe via the Felixstowe Branch Line).
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History[edit]
The Eastern Union Railway opened its first terminus in Ipswich in 1846 on Station Road at the other end of the present-day tunnel close to the old quay for the Steamboats and the aptly named 'Steamboat Tavern'. The Ipswich Steam Navigation Company had been formed in 1824/1825 during a period of 'steamship mania' and briefly offered services from the quay between Ipswich and London calling at Walton-on-the-Naze.[1]
The current station is just to the north of Stoke tunnel which was constructed as part of the Ipswich to Ely Line which opened as far as St Edmunds in late 1846.[2]
The station moved to its present location in 1860, the main building is thought to be principally the work of Peter Bruff. The island platform was added by the Great Eastern Railway in 1883.[3]
Ipswich engine shed [ shed code 32B ] opened in 1846 and was at the south end of Stoke tunnel. It was the 3rd largest shed in the Great Eastern area during the steam era after Stratford and Cambridge.
The station's original lifts were removed in 1993 when the line was electrified.[4]
Following the Privatisation of British Rail services from Ipswich Station were operated by Anglia Railways from 1997 until April 2004 after which the franchise was won by National Express East Anglia (operating under the 'one' brand until 2008).[5]
In the five years between 2004/05 and 2008/09 patronage rose by 50% from 2 million per year to 3 million per year.[6]
Ticket barriers were installed in the station building in May 2009 and the exit gate on Platform 2 closed permanently.
New lifts, which had been promised for many years since they were removed in about 1993[4] were opened on 6 June 2011.[7][8]
Description[edit]
.JPG)
- Platform 1 is a bay platform for trains to/from Saxmundham and Lowestoft and Ipswich to Felixstowe services.
- Platform 2 is used for through trains to London from Norwich and Ipswich to Felixstowe services.
- Platform 3 is used for through trains to Norwich from London and Ipswich to Cambridge services.
- Platform 4 (4A,4B, 4C) is used for services to Cambridge and Peterborough, and stopping services to London.
There is an avoiding line between the lines that serve the main through platforms 2 and 3.[9]
Prior to electrification there were 2 short sidings at the London end of the up platform which were used for locomotive changes on up trains when required.[10]
Platforms 3 and 4 can be accessed via the footbridge or by lift.
Opposite Platform 4 at Ipswich Station is a stabling point used by Freightliner diesel and electric locomotives. Classes 66, 70, 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.
The station has extensive facilities including self-service ticket machines, ticket counters, a WHSmith convenience store, 2 cafes, a multi-storey car park, taxi stand, bus station and ATMs. The whole stations is now fully accessible, with lifts having been installed in 2011.
Former train operating company Anglia Railways ran services known as London Crosslink from Norwich to Basingstoke via Stratford. This service started in 2000 and ended in 2002.
Train services[edit]
The following services currently call at Ipswich:
| Preceding station |  National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Anglia | ||||
| Terminus | Greater Anglia
Great Eastern Main Line outer suburban
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| Greater Anglia | ||||
| Greater Anglia | ||||
| Terminus | ||||
| Greater Anglia | Terminus | |||
| Dutchflyer
Cambridge-Amsterdam
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| Historical railways | ||||
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Line open, station closed
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Great Eastern Railway |
Line open, station closed
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| Anglia Railways | ||||
Future developments[edit]
Ipswich Railway Chord (Bacon chord)[edit]
The Ipswich Railway Chord (or 'Bacon chord' in early documentation) is a short 1415 metres section of railway line being constructed to link the East Suffolk Line and the Great Eastern Main Line just North of Ipswich Goods Yard. This chord will allow freight trains from the Port of Felixstowe to access the West Coast Main Line using the Ipswich to Ely Line and a cross-country route via Nuneaton, rather than via the Great Eastern Main Line and the North London Line.
The chord is being built on the site of an old Bacon Factory, hence its original name. It has been reported that the finished scheme will 'take 750,000 lorries off the roads'.[11]
Preliminary work for the chord started in August 2012,[12] and the Secretary of State for Transport granted full development consent on 5 September 2012, coming into effect on 26 September 2012.[13]
Bus services[edit]
Bus services depart from several stops around the station. There is an information poster outside the station, by the main bus stands. Many other services depart from in the Town; Ipswich Old Cattle Market bus station (For regional buses) and Tower Ramparts Bus Station for Town Services.
References[edit]
- ^ "Promotion, speculation and their outcome: The "steamship mania" of 1824-1825". Retrieved 2010-01-16. "Ipswich Steam Navigation Company. Amongst all the companies promoted in 1824-25 ... The Ipswich Steam Navigation Company at least went into operation. It established a service between Ipswich and London, calling at Harwich and Walton-on-the-Naze"
- ^ Moffat, Hugh (1987). East Anglia's First Railways. Lavenham: Terence Dalton. ISBN 0-86138-038-X.
- ^ Biddle, Gordon (2003). Britain's Historic Railway Buildings. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-866247-5.
- ^ a b "Autumn / Winter 2008 Newsletter". Mid Anglia Rail Passengers Association (MARPA). Retrieved 2010-03-30. "The original lift was demolished when the line was electrified"
- ^ "‘one’ Railway to vanish as National Express begins major rebranding exercise". Railway Herald. 2007-11-17. p. 9. Retrieved 2008-02-13.[dead link]
- ^ "Station usage". Office of the Rail Regulator.
- ^ "Home • Greater Anglia". Nationalexpresseastanglia.com. Retrieved 2013-03-17.
- ^ "Ipswich: New railway station footbridge opened - News - East Anglian Daily Times". Eadt.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-03-17.
- ^ Brodribb, John (1985). Steam in the Eastern Counties. Shepperton: Ian Allan Ltd. p. 31. ISBN 0 7110 1558 9.
- ^ Brodribb 1985, p. 30
- ^ "£50m rail upgrade gets the go ahead". East Anglian Daily Times. 05-02-2010. Retrieved 2010-02-22.
- ^ "Felixstowe: Work starts on new rail line to take containers off the A14".
- ^ "National Infrastructure Planning". National Infrastructure Planning. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
External links[edit]
- Train times and station information for Ipswich railway station from National Rail
