King's Lynn railway station

King's Lynn railway station is a railway station serving the town of King's Lynn in Norfolk. The station is the terminus of the Fen Line from Cambridge, which is electrified at 25 kV AC overhead.

Related Topics:
Railway station - King's Lynn - Norfolk - Fen Line - Cambridge

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The railway arrived in 1847, with the Ely and Lynn branch of the Great Eastern Railway, and a spur connecting to the harbour was opened in 1849. Expansion followed with branches connecting east and west, and with a line running north to the seaside resort of Hunstanton (the latter journey celebrated by former Poet Laureate John Betjeman in a short BBC film about the line).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The station is served by WAGN as part of their service from London King's Cross to King's Lynn. The services run non-stop between London and Cambridge as part of the half-houly "Cambridge Cruiser" service. One train per hour then continues beyond Cambridge, stopping at all stations on the Fen Line to King's Lynn. These services now normally use former-British Rail Class 365 electrical multiple units, although for some years less-comfortable Class 317 units were used (these units are still used on services operated by One to London Liverpool Street).

Related Topics:
WAGN - London King's Cross - King's Lynn - Cambridge - Fen Line - Class 365 - Electrical multiple unit - Class 317

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Before electrification, services were normally operated by InterCity (latterly Network SouthEast) locomotive-halued trains, normally pulling British Rail Mark 2b coaches. Many of these services featured full-service restaurant cars. The locomotives were usually Class 37 diesel-electrics, sometimes Class 31s or 47s. Off-peak links were often provided by Metro-Cammell diesel multiple units. Through-trains from London always started from London's Liverpool Street station, but services were shifted to King's Cross in the 1990s. Royal trains from Sandringham House (formerly served by Wolferton station, which is north of King's Lynn on the now-extinct railway line to Hunstanton) to the capital were always diverted to King's Cross (the reigning monarch is not permitted to enter the City of London, in whose boundaries Liverpool Street station lies, without the permission of the Lord Mayor).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~