Published on: Thursday, 2 October 2014
Last updated: Wednesday, 5 October 2016
The summer timetable hourly frequency of Sunday services for Abellio Greater Anglia’s Norwich to Sheringham Bittern Line route is being extended to run throughout the year from Sunday 5 October.
This is the first time there has been an hourly frequency of service on Sundays during the winter period and throughout the year on the Bittern Line, and representatives of Norfolk County Council, the Bittern Line Community Rail Partnership (CRP) and Abellio Greater Anglia will welcome the service improvements at Norwich station on Sunday 5 October.
The six extra services to help provide the hourly frequency on Sundays mean that 13 services will now run in each direction with the first departures from Norwich and Sheringham at 08.36 and 09.42 respectively, with last trains departing Norwich at 20.36 and from Sheringham at 21.42. They will benefit communities along the route providing better connectivity for trips to and from Norwich and the coast, and make North Norfolk more accessible and attractive for weekend breaks, all year around.
The extension of the hourly frequency Sunday timetable comes shortly after Abellio Greater Anglia’s recent announcement that it is able to move the last train departure from Norwich to Sheringham on Fridays and Saturdays back from 22.45 to 23.05 from this December - five months earlier than was expected to be possible. The train operator had originally proposed the move to the Bittern Line CRP in response to local customer and community feedback. To enable the positive change to take place Network Rail has agreed to adjust their essential overnight safety and operational maintenance arrangements.
This timetable improvement will enable residents or visitors in North Norfolk to enjoy longer evenings out in Norwich. It also means that passengers can catch a later train back from London after a day out in the capital (the 21.00 service on Fridays, the 20.30 service on Saturdays).
Jonathan Denby, Head of Corporate Affairs for Abellio Greater Anglia said: “The extension of an hourly Sunday service throughout the year is another massive vote of confidence in the Bittern Line, and reflects all the positive work of the Bittern Line CRP and all our efforts in promoting the route to deliver passenger growth. The improved frequency of service is also a major boost for Norfolk’s economy and local businesses that will benefit from people visiting Norwich and the coastal and market towns the Bittern Line serves.”
Ted Gadsden Chairman of the Bittern Line CRP said: "This is another major step forward in delivering more frequent train services for the communities served by the Bittern Line. Passengers are now benefiting from the best ever frequency of service on the Norwich to Sheringham line for the weekday, Saturday and Sunday timetables.”
The first additional Sunday service will depart Norwich station on Sunday 5 October at 09.45. The service will be officially ‘flagged away’ by Jonathan Denby, Head of Corporate Affairs for Abellio Greater Anglia, Councillor Brian Hannah, Chairman of Norfolk County Council and Ted Gadsden, Chairman of the Bittern Line CRP.