A successful campaign by the Bittern Line Community Rail Partnership (CRP) to increase rail services at West Runton station in North Norfolk will see the first of a new hourly service running seven days per week commence this Sunday, December 14.
Supported by West Runton Parish Council and the Volunteer Station Adopter Group, train operator Greater Anglia were first approached by the Bittern Line CRP over four years ago about an anomaly in the service pattern which saw weekday and Saturday services calling at the station hourly, but the Sunday service, one of the busiest days for leisure travel, operating a timetable with trains only calling every two hours.
Following some years of discussion, in February this year Greater Anglia agreed to run an hourly service across all seven days although passengers have had to wait until the introduction of the Winter timetable, this Sunday 14 December, for the hourly service to begin.
Above: Furthest right, David Pearce, Chair of Bittern Line Community Rail Partnership with Bittern Line stakeholders Courtesy Bittern Line CRP
Chair of the Bittern Line Community Rail Partnership, David Pearce is delighted to see the improved service starting, he said; “The Bittern Line Community Rail Partnership have been campaigning for over four years to see an end to the anomaly which saw Sunday trains at West Runton only calling every two hours when the pattern was hourly for the rest of the week. “We very much welcome that Greater Anglia have agreed to make this substantial improvement which will see some 13 trains in each direction now calling at the station on Sundays, providing a major boost to connectivity and both the local and visitor economy.”
Trains on the Bittern Line run between Norwich and Sheringham taking in the Broads National Park at Salhouse and Hoveton & Wroxham stations, the line then serves the historic market town of North Walsham before reaching the coast at Cromer. The section between Cromer and Sheringham which serves West Runton is hugely important as it serves not just the local community but a year-round stream of visitors as well as day trippers wishing to visit the fossil rich Deep History Coast.
The Bittern Line Community Rail Partnership, one of the first to be formed in the UK, has been in existence for over 25 years and has undertaken numerous initiatives to promote the railway, improve connectivity and enhance stations, together with the introduction by Greater Anglia of a new fleet of trains five years ago, the line has gone from strength to strength with passenger journeys increasing from around 200,000 per year in 1994 to over 760,000 today.
This Sunday, 14 December between 10am and 12.30pm, the Community Rail Partnership together with the volunteer station adopter group will be hosting a celebration at West Runton station to mark the introduction of the new timetable including the new hourly Sunday services. Free Bittern Line guides which include a printed version of the timetable will be available along with refreshments, festive treats and Bittern Line souvenirs.
