Great Eastern Main Line
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The Great Eastern Main Line is a major railway line of the British railway system, which connects Liverpool Street station in the City of London with destinations in east London and the East of England; including Ipswich, Norwich and several coastal resorts.[1] The line is primarily a commuter railway which also attracts business and leisure passengers; it is also used as a freight route.[2]
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[edit] Services
Longer distance 'main line' and inner suburban 'metro' services are operated under a single franchise by National Express Group, using the 'one' brand name.[1] The franchise began on 1 April 2004.[3] A limited number of c2c services operate on the line.[2]
Liverpool Street is the principal passenger destination on the line; although Stratford, with connections to Canary Wharf, has grown in significance.[2]
[edit] Main line
Outer suburban and long-distance services utilise a set of fast tracks between Liverpool Street and Shenfield. Branch lines diverge from the main tracks at Romford, Shenfield, Witham, Marks Tey, Colchester, Ipswich, Stowmarket and Norwich;[1] with through services operating to some destinations. Fast and stopping services share the same tracks from Shenfield to Colchester.[2]
| Station | District | Branches |
|---|---|---|
| London Liverpool Street | City of London | |
| Stratford | Newham | |
| Romford | Havering | Romford to Upminster Line: Upminster |
| Shenfield | Brentwood | Shenfield to Southend Line: Southend Victoria / Southminster |
| Ingatestone | Brentwood | |
| Chelmsford | Chelmsford | |
| Hatfield Peverel | Braintree | |
| Witham | Braintree | Braintree Branch Line: Braintree |
| Kelvedon | Braintree | |
| Marks Tey | Colchester | Gainsborough Line: Sudbury |
| Colchester | Colchester | Sunshine Coast Line: Clacton-on-Sea / Walton on Naze |
| Manningtree | Tendring | Mayflower Line: Harwich Town |
| Ipswich | Ipswich | Felixstowe Branch Line: Felixstowe East Suffolk Line: Lowestoft |
| Needham Market | Mid Suffolk | |
| Stowmarket | Mid Suffolk | Ipswich to Ely Line: Ely / Cambridge |
| Diss | South Norfolk | |
| Norwich | Norwich | Wherry Lines: Great Yarmouth / Lowestoft Bittern Line: Sheringham Breckland Line: Cambridge |
[edit] Metro
A high-frequency metro service operates between Liverpool Street and Shenfield serving suburban stations and utilising the slow lines. The off-peak service consists of six trains an hour.[2] Some trains are scheduled to terminate at Ilford or Gidea Park.[2]
| Station | Zone | District |
|---|---|---|
| London Liverpool Street | 1 | City of London |
| Stratford | 3 | Newham |
| Maryland | 3 | Newham |
| Forest Gate | 3 | Newham |
| Manor Park | 3/4 | Newham |
| Ilford | 4 | Redbridge |
| Seven Kings | 4 | Redbridge |
| Goodmayes | 4 | Redbridge |
| Chadwell Heath | 5 | Barking & Dagenham |
| Romford | 6 | Havering |
| Gidea Park | 6 | Havering |
| Harold Wood | 6 | Havering |
| Brentwood | n/a | Brentwood |
| Shenfield | n/a | Brentwood |
It is planned that Oyster card pay as you go will be accepted on the route from Stratford to Harold Wood by 2009.[4] It is currently accepted between Stratford and Liverpool Street.[5] It is proposed that the metro service and the slow line infrastructure between Stratford and Shenfield will be absorbed into Crossrail.
[edit] Infrastructure
The line is owned and maintained by Network Rail.[2] It is electrified at 25 kV AC, using overhead wires. There are fast and stopping tracks between Liverpool Street and Shenfield. A flyover is used to transfer the stopping tracks from south of the fast lines between Liverpool Street and Manor Park to north of the fast lines between Ilford and Shenfield.
Electric locomotive-hauled inter city trains operate between Norwich and London. Inner and outer suburban passenger trains are operated by electric multiple units. Services operate at up to 100 mph. Electric and diesel hauled freight services operate on the line.[2]
[edit] History
The earliest section of the line was built by the Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) and operated between Mile End and Romford from 1839. Bishopsgate railway station (initially known as Shoreditch) was used as the London terminus until Liverpool Street was opened in 1874. The ECR was amalgamated with other railways to form the Great Eastern Railway in 1862.
The line was 'grouped' into the London and North Eastern Railway in 1923 and from 1948 formed part of the Eastern Region of British Railways.
In 1986 it became part of Network SouthEast. Between 5 January 1997 and 31 March 2004, suburban and medium distance services were operated by First Great Eastern; while fast mainline services were operated by Anglia Railways.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c National Rail, Rail Services Around London & the South East, (2006)
- ^ a b c d e f g h Network Rail - Route 7 - Great Eastern (PDF)
- ^ 'one' - Welcome to 'one'
- ^ 'one' - ‘one’ Railway to extend availability of Oyster Pay As You Go
- ^ National Rail - Oyster Pay As You Go (PAYG) on National Rail (PDF)
| Main line railways in Great Britain: | |
|---|---|
| High-speed main lines: | Channel Tunnel Rail Link |
| 'Classic' main lines: | Cross-Country Route East Coast Main Line Great Eastern Main Line Great Western Main Line Midland Main Line West Coast Main Line |
| Railway lines in the East of England: | |
|---|---|
| Main lines: | East Coast Main Line Great Eastern Main Line Cambridge-King's Lynn "Fen" Line Cambridge-Norwich "Breckland" Line Colchester-Clacton "Sunshine Coast" Line Ely-Peterborough Line Ipswich-Ely Line London-Cambridge Line London, Tilbury & Southend Line Manningtree-Harwich "Mayflower" Line Thameslink West Anglia Main Line |
| Commuter lines: | Hertford Loop Line Lea Valley Lines Northern City Line Romford-Upminster Line Shenfield-Southend Victoria Line Witham-Braintree Line |
| Rural lines: | Cambridge-Ipswich Line Crouch Valley Line East Suffolk Line Grantham-Skegness Line Ipswich-Felixstowe Line Marks Tey-Sudbury "Gainsborough" Line Norwich-Sheringham "Bittern" Line Peterborough-Lincoln Line Thorpe le Soken-Walton "Sunshine Coast" Line Wherry Lines |
