Berney Arms railway station
Berney Arms | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Location | Broadland |
| Managed by | National Express East Anglia |
| Platforms | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Station code | BYA |
| History | |
| Original company | Yarmouth and Norwich Railway[1] Eastern Counties Railway |
| Pre-grouping | Great Eastern Railway |
| Post-grouping | London and North Eastern Railway |
| Key dates | |
| 1 May 1844 | Opened[1] |
Berney Arms railway station is a halt serving the remote settlement of Berney Arms in the Halvergate Marshes, Norfolk, England.
The station, which is 3.5 miles (5.6 km) from the nearest road, is the most remote station in Norfolk. It is only accessible by train, boat, on foot or on horseback.
Trains stop at Berney Arms only on request, and only during daylight hours as there is no lighting at the station, which is unstaffed.
History
The station was opened in 1844 as part of the Yarmouth and Norwich Railway. Local landowner Thomas Trench Berney sold the land to the railway company on condition that a station be built. A few years later, the railway company stopped serving the station, saying that there had been no agreement to actually serve the railway station that they agreed to build. After lengthy legal proceedings, it was agreed to serve the station in perpetuity. Or at least this is the accepted "story". There is, however, no proof of any legally binding obligation to keep the station open. During the 1980s British Rail wanted to close the line between Reedham and Great Yarmouth, with the associated closure of the station. Local opposition resulted in the plan being withdrawn. The former Berney Arms signal box is preserved at Mangapps Railway Museum, Burnham on Crouch, Essex.
Services
According to one source [1], the number of trains serving Berney Arms has been much reduced over the last fifty years. In April 1961, there were a minimum of eleven services daily. The basic winter service now has just three daily stops from Monday to Saturday. In summer, with longer daylight hours, one extra stop is usually scheduled in the early evening. Trains are more frequent on Sundays all year round.
The line is promoted as part of the Wherry Lines service operated by National Express East Anglia. Services use Class 153, Class 156 or Class 170 diesel multiple units.
Locality
RSPB Berney Marshes and Breydon Water nature reserves are located in the vicinity of the station. The public house, from which the station takes its name, is still functional - normally daily in the summer, and at weekends only in the winter. The pub is about 600 metres from the station.
A post office at Berney Arms Station opened in 1898 but closed in 1967.
Further reading
- Berney Arms Station featured in an article entitled "Unlikely Survival" in The Railway Magazine, Apr 1984, pp.132-133.
- An article on the history and current use of the station appeared in Hidden Europe Magazine, Nov 2006 (Issue 11), pp.10-11.
- David McKie wrote "The rail to nowhere" in The Guardian, 12 July 2010.
References
- ^ a b Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
External links
52°35′24″N 1°37′51″E / 52.59000°N 1.63083°E
- Train times and station information for Berney Arms railway station from National Rail
- History and photographs on Berney Arms Web - http://www.berneyarms.co.uk/html/berneyarms/railway/berney_railway1.htm
- Large scale map and walk
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reedham | National Express East Anglia Wherry Lines |
Great Yarmouth | ||
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