The fishing port and holiday resort of Cromer in the English county of Norfolk has had a rail service since 1877. It was served by three railway stations for many years, and is now served by two. Cromer Beach station, which opened in 1887, was renamed Cromer following the closure of the other early stations.
Cromer High, on the outskirts of the town, was opened in 1877 as the terminus of the Great Eastern Railway main line from London. It was followed in 1887 by Cromer Beach station, on the rural Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway (M&GNJR). Cromer Links Halt railway station, on the little-used and now closed Norfolk and Suffolk Joint Railway line to North Walsham via Overstrand and Mundesley, was opened in 1923.
Following a reduction in traffic caused by Cromer's decline in popularity as a holiday destination after World War II, and the closure of many Norfolk railway lines in the 1950s, a decision was made to concentrate all passenger traffic into a single station. Although Cromer High had far better facilities, it was inconveniently situated on the edge of the town. Therefore, all passenger services were diverted into Cromer Beach (renamed Cromer) and the other stations closed. Following growth of the town as a commuter town to Norwich, a new station called Roughton Road opened in 1985, near the site of the former Cromer High.
Video Railway stations in Cromer
Cromer railway station
Because the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway (M&GNJR) line approached Cromer from the west, following the coastal clifftops, it avoided the steep escarpment which had prevented the earlier line from Norwich running all the way into the town. Consequently, it became possible to build a far more conveniently located station, near to the town centre and the beach. The station opened as Cromer Beach on 16 June 1887 and was renamed Cromer on 20 October 1969, following the closure of Cromer High station in 1954. It is 26 miles 52 chains (42.9 km) down the line from Norwich.
Buildings
To cater to the heavy leisure traffic at the end of the 19th century, Cromer Beach had a large station building in a half-timbered style, and a large goods yard. The station originally included a bar, which was closed in 1966. Following the introduction of conductor-guard working, the ticket facilities were no longer needed and the building fell into disuse; it was renovated and reopened as a public house in 1998. A large supermarket was built on the site of the goods yards in 1991.
Cromer is one of only two former M&GNJR stations to remain operational on Network Rail, the other being the neighbouring West Runton.
Services
The station is currently served only by local services operated by 'Abellio Greater Anglia' on the Bittern Line from Norwich to Sheringham.
There is generally an hourly service to Sheringham (8 minutes) and to Norwich (55 minutes), with more frequent services during the morning and evening peak travel times. On Sundays, trains run every two hours to Sheringham and Norwich. In 1997 a single daily through train to and from London Liverpool Street to Sheringham via Cromer was introduced; it was not heavily used and the service was consequently discontinued. All of these services are run by diesel multiple units Class 153, 156 or occasionally 170.
Because of its historical position as the terminus of the line from Melton Constable and Sheringham to the west, trains running via Cromer reverse direction on leaving the station.
The following services currently call at Cromer:
Maps Railway stations in Cromer
Former stations
Cromer High railway station
Cromer High railway station was the first station opened in Cromer, situated to the south on the outskirts of the town on a steep escarpment. Built initially by the short-lived East Norfolk Railway, the station (along with the line) was incorporated into the Great Eastern Railway, who had operated the services from the beginning. It served as the terminus of Great Eastern Railway services from London and Norwich. Initially named Cromer on opening, it was renamed Cromer High on 27 September 1948.
The station opened on 26 March 1877. Because of steep gradients near the town, the station was built in open fields some distance from the town itself. The station resembled in design Chingford railway station, opened in 1878, another GER branch line terminus.
Closure
On 23 July 1906 a connection was opened between the line to Cromer High and the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway line between Melton Constable and Cromer Beach stations, allowing through trains from Norwich to run to Cromer Beach. As Cromer Beach was far more conveniently sited in the centre of the town, passenger numbers using Cromer High dropped substantially, although it remained in heavy usage as a freight depot. On 20 September 1954 passenger services ceased at Cromer High, with all traffic diverted to Cromer Beach (renamed "Cromer" in 1969). The station remained open as a freight terminus until 7 March 1960, but was then closed completely and the station demolished. Despite the loss of passenger revenue, the bar attached to the station did not close until 1957. Part of the station site has been redeveloped for housing, but much remains undeveloped; although derelict and overgrown, the former station approach road is also still present. North Norfolk Council is considering converting the station into a site for the use of Travellers.
Cromer High station was situated a short distance away from the Cromer Tunnel, Norfolk's only standard gauge railway tunnel, connecting the Sheringham and Mundesley lines. Although disused since services ceased in 1953, the tunnel remains intact.
Cromer Links Halt railway station
Cromer Links Halt (located at TG232409) was a railway station on the outskirts of Cromer. It was on the now disused Norfolk and Suffolk Joint Railway line between Roughton Road Junction and Overstrand station. It opened on 9 July 1923, only to close thirty years later on 7 April 1953.
History
Opened as part of an attempt to encourage holiday traffic on the line, the halt primarily served golfers at the nearby Royal Cromer Golf Club. The station facilities were very basic, consisting of no more than a single wooden platform, which cost £170 to build, two wooden benches and running in board together with the obligatory oil lamps. No shelter was provided for passengers and the platform was constructed of sleepers and supported by wooden trestles.
The halt was approached from the road by a path leading up the embankment on which the railway ran. To the west, a bridge carried the line over Northrepps Road from where it proceeded on another embankment before reaching Cromer Tunnel which was built by the Norfolk and Suffolk Joint Railway to take the line under the Great Eastern's Cromer High to Norwich route. Although only 61 yards long, the tunnel is notable as being one of only two standard gauge tunnels anywhere in Norfolk, the other being Barsham Tunnel on the Wells-on-Sea branch. However, as Barsham Tunnel was opened out before 1912, Cromer Tunnel is actually the only tunnel.
The line was served in general by around half a dozen trains each way between North Walsham, Mundesley and Cromer Beach. However, with no direct service to Norwich - the nearest city - the halt was little-used, and closed in 1953 as part of a package of early rationalisation measures undertaken by British Railways after nationalisation, which also involved the closure of the line from Roughton Road Junction to Mundesley. The coastal line, although highly picturesque, carried little traffic and its closure made sound economic sense to British Railways.
Present day
Due to its wooden construction, virtually no trace of Cromer Links Halt has survived other than the gate to the approach path up the embankment, the rotting remains of which were said to be entangled in the undergrowth at the site of the station.
Roughton Road railway station
Roughton Road was opened on 20 May 1985, to serve the new housing developments in the area. It is on the southern edge of Cromer, near the junction for the disused Cromer Tunnel leading to the former Norfolk and Suffolk Joint Railway line, about 200 yards (183 m) from the site of the former Cromer High station.
References
Bibliography
External links
- Map sources for Railway stations in Cromer
- Train times and station information for Railway stations in Cromer from National Rail
- Cromer's railway stations on navigable 1946 O. S. map
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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