The Anonymous Widower

Stowmarket Station – 14th March 2025

tThe one and only time, that I’ve used Stowmarket station, was when I’d taken my Lotus in for a service near Diss and I was getting back to Newmarket, with a change at the station.

So as I was going to Stowmarket station, I felt with the judicious use of a East Anglian Ranger ticket, I could combine the trips to Stowmarket and Saxmundham stations.

I also wanted to look at the progress on the new footbridge that I wrote about in Stowmarket Station To Go Step-Free.

I took these pictures.

Note.

  1. I arrived on the Norwich-bound platform, crossed the tracks by the level crossing and then left from the Ipswich-bound platform.
  2. The station has a cafe.
  3. The footbridge in the pictures is a temporary one to ease construction.
  4. The station buildings are Grade II Listed.

There doesn’t appear to have been much progress on the new footbridge.

I do have some other thoughts.

Greater Anglia’s Stadler Trains Are Step-Free Between Train And Platform

The first two and last pictures in the gallery show this feature.

I arrived on a Class 745 train and left on a Class 755 and both train classes have gap fillers, that do their job automatically.

We need more of this technology to protect the elderly, those with restricted movement and the just untrained stupid.

Housing By The Station

It appears that two blocks of flats have been built on railway land or the station car park.

The bridge also appears to give the owners and residents access across the railway.

Is this thoughtful holistic design or just a bribe to get planning permission?

Who Will Use The Footbridge?

Two main lines effectively cross at Stowmarket.

  • The Great Eastern Main Line between Ipswich and Norwich goes through Needham Market, Stowmarket and Diss.
  • The Ipswich and Ely Line between Ipswich and Cambridge goes through Needham Market, Stowmarket, Elmswell, Thurston, Bury St. Edmunds, Kennett, Newmarket and Dullingham.

So, if you need to go between say Newmarket and Diss, you would change trains at Stowmarket. Hopefully, the bridge will encourage train travel.

New Housing In East Anglia

On the main railway lines between Cambridge, Ipswich and Norwich, there used to be a lot more stations.

  • There are eight closed stations between Stowmarket and Cambridge.
  • There are three closed stations between Stowmarket and Ely .
  • There are two closed stations between Stowmarket and Ipswich.
  • There are eight closed stations between Stowmarket and Norwich.

Note.

  1. A new Soham station was built between Stowmarket and Ely. Passenger numbers are rising with each year.
  2. I have double-counted Higham and Saxham and Risby stations on both the Ely and Cambridge routes.
  3. But that still leaves nineteen stations, that might be good sites to build new houses.
  4. The East-West Railway intend to build a new A14 Parkway station to link the A14 road to the Ipswich and Ely Line.
  5. When housing is taken into account, some stations will give a better return on investment.

Could the new footbridge at Stowmarket be part of a wide ranging plan to build more housing in towns and villages along the railways of East Anglia?

Was The Old Footbridge Too Low?

This picture was taken of the old bridge.

Was the bridge too low for some container trains?

 

March 14, 2025 Posted by | Design, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment