Published on: Tuesday, 24 December 2019
Last updated: Tuesday, 24 December 2019
Families enjoyed festive train trips between Ipswich and Lowestoft on Saturday (21 December).
The 10.17 Greater Anglia Ipswich to Lowestoft service was driven by Santa himself as elves handed out goodies to children and passengers on board enjoyed carols from the Rabble Chorus choir and music ‘From Beginners to Performers’ ukulele band.
On arrival at Lowestoft passengers were able to enjoy Christmas-themed molly dancing by Oxblood Molly Dancers
Free refreshments were handed out to passengers at Lowestoft thanks to Wherry Lines Community Rail Partnership volunteers before the return journey – the 12.07 from Lowestoft to Ipswich, formed by one of Greater Anglia’s brand-new trains.
The inaugural Festive Express was organised by the East Suffolk Lines Community Rail Partnership.
Community Rail Officer, Claire Kendall said, “This was the first ever Festive train for the East Suffolk Line between Ipswich and Lowestoft. We were really pleased with how it went and how everyone joined in on board. There were smiles all round from the elves, the choir, the band and most importantly the passengers”.
“We had great feedback from people on board who enjoyed the festive spirit on board - and the goody bags went down very well with the children.”
“I’d like to thank Greater Anglia and the train crew, ‘The Rabble Chorus’ choir, ‘From Beginners to Performers’ ukulele band and the ‘Oxblood’ Molly Dancers for their support in putting on this really fun event. We would all love to build on this and make this an annual event”.
Greater Anglia’s Customer and Community Engagement Manager, Alan Neville, said, “We’re very grateful to the East Suffolk Line Community Rail Partnership for all their hard work in bringing together this lovely event and bringing a smile to the faces of passengers travelling on these trains on Saturday.”
The East Suffolk Community Rail Partnership would be pleased to hear from other groups that may want to join in the fun on this and other events throughout the year (contact [email protected] ).